Gourds?

[zxcvbob]

I've seen seeds for hybrid small bottle gourds (Lagenaria) sold as Asian vegetables. Do you cook them like squash, or what? When I was a kid, we grew cuccuzi (cucuzzi?) squash one year, and it turned out to be some kind of gourd -- had white flowers that opened at night. The vines grew into the corn and went crazy. The fruit were about the size and shape of pale green baseball bats, with firm-but-spongy white flesh. The chickens loved them, we didn't. (maybe we just picked them too big)

So I have thought about trying those Asian gourd seeds next year, but afraid they might be the worst of both worlds; taste bad, and not be any good for drying to make bottles because the shells are too thin.

Has anybody tried them?

Bob

[Steve Peek]

[George Shirley]

I grew cuccuzzi for several years Bob, just couldn't grow summer squash because the squash borers got the plants before they could fruit. I had my best luck harvesting them at six to eight inches long. This was before their seeds could form and they were very tasty in any dish that originally called for squash. If you let them get two or three feet long and then dry them they make good containers. The grandkids loved to play with them.

We never used them for bottles, DW did paint and decorate several and gave them away.

Another we raised for some time was tromboncino rampicante, a climbing zucchini, also very tasty when young and interesting when large. Go here for info on these: