Oh Uchiki, ki, ki, ki, ki (to the tune of hokey cokey!) This week the children really enjoyed my upside down Uchiki cake. We all had a giggle trying to pronounce the word. I found if you wiggle your hips and say U-ch-i-ki its quite amusing. It was so popular the Den children are going to incorporate it into a song!
Uchiki Kuri is a squash, it is thought to have originated in Mesoamerica and cultivated as early as 7000bc.
Now you can grow it in your greenhouses. I've kept some seeds so we will try to do our own this year, just need our man force (Ed, Vince and Tim) to help put up the green house, pretty please.
Nutritionally it provides a good source of fibre as well as vitamins A, B, C, Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Riboflavin and Thiamine. Also due to the colour it contains beta-carotene, so if you eat enough of it you can do away with poisonous fake tans!
Another popular dish this week, and one so easy to make at home, was a lovely Sheppard's pie. I replaced 80% of the mash potato topping with parsnip.
Potato is very starchy and sometimes incredibly had to digest, especially with the young children whose digestion tunnels are only the width of your little fingers. As a nation we eat far too much potato and it can clog up our systems slowing our digestive mechanisms down.
More information can be found here.