These gourds were so slow to get going but now not even the cucumber beetles can stop them! We use them like cooked zucchini when they're small -- me thinks better flavor and firmer texture.
Cucuzzi Gourds almost ready!
I've never heard of these. Looks like a lot of work to slice. :-)
Cuke beetle in male blossom.
Something to eat the cuke beetle?
Kurtwall - it won't be ready to slice until tomorrow after it grows a foot and is about an inch in diameter. You gotta watch 'em cuz they'll be 3 feet long, 2-3" in diameter and too fibrous before your know it. I think they the same thing as trombocini that Horseshoe grows?
I love cucuzzi gourd. I grew it both when I lived in New Orleans and now here in Los Alamos, New Mexico. It grows great in both places. The ones that got away from me and got to big, made wonderful toys for the kids at our community garden. They made all kinds of creatures out of them but were especially fond of the penguins they made. Little known but wondrous veggie!
This year I am trying snake gourd. I hope I got it in soon enough to do something.
Do yours grow all twisty? I think these are the same, weird and yummy.
Tombaak -- A definite yes, depending how they're hanging they'll go all twisty. I'm thinking Cucuzzi, Trombocini & Snake are different names for the same or very similar gourds? They usually use 'the lagenaria group' of gourds as utilitarian items and "includes the Martin or Birdhouse, Bottle and Dipper gourds." Here's an interesting link I stole from the ornamental gourd group here at Dave's: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1630.html but they forget to mention eating them while they're still young. We like it better than cooked zucchini but not sure if you can (or want) to eat it raw?
I got the name wrong "TROMBOCINO" -- Check out Horseshoe's mature fruit: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/467554/
. . . . and the plant files: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/56773/index.html
It looks like the Trombocino is an entirely different species "moschata". The snake gourd is a diferent genus and species: "Genus: Trichosanthes, Species: cucumerina". I'm so confused. Here's that same fruit less than 24 hours later (more than double the size . . .).
