Zucchini

ZUCCHINI a summer squash which can reach nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. Nutrition The zucchini fruit is low in calories (approximately 15 food calories per 100 fresh zucchini) and contains useful amounts of folate (24 mcg/100 g), potassium (280 mg/100 g) and vitamin A (384 IU [115 mcg]/100 g. 1/2 cup of zucchini also contains 19% of the recommended amount of manganese. ORIGIN Zucchini, like all squash, has its ancestry in the Americas. However, the varieties of squash typically called "zucchini" were developed in Italy, many GOURMANDIA generations after their introduction from the www.gourmandia.net "New World". The Flower The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of each emergent zucchini. The male flower grows directly on the stem of the zucchini plant and is slightly smaller than the female source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zucchini