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Most gourds are not edible and the interior gourd dust can actually be quite toxic. I work with dried gourds so I know this to be true and make sure I work in a ventilated area and take precaution with the seeds and fibrous insides.

But, there are a few edible gourds and they are considered to be a culinary delight. Listed below are three of the larger edible gourds. I have not included the Luffa gourd and its relatives

Cucuzzi or Italian Edible Gourd is probably the most well known edible gourd. This was one of the first gourds I grew in the garden. It will grow up to three feet but is best picked for eating at one foot. You can cook and serve it like you would a summer squash or eggplant. This is considered to be a tasty Italian heirloom.

It will look like a long thick green bean and grows on long productive vines. For some reason the insects don’t seem to bother this plant as much as others. I think the plant emits a bit of a strong smell that repels insects.

I have had a lot of success growing the Cuccuzi and have tried it as an edible fruit and also let it dry like a gourd and used it for crafting purposes.

The first time I grew this I had no idea what to expect and actually scared myself in the garden when I looked down and saw what looked to be a huge green snake hiding in the vines!

The Serpente Di Sicila gourd is a lot like the Cuccuzi. It is very long and slender and a bright light green color. These should also be picked when they are small and tender. These have a very rich flavor and are served steamed, sautéed, or stuffed and baked. These are very popular sellers at Asian and specialty markets.

I have not grown this gourd before so I do not have first hand experience with its growing habits but I hear it grows like the Cucuzzi.

Thai Bottle gourds are gourds that are shaped like a bottle. They are best used when they are four to six inches if you plan to eat them. They are stir-fried, curried, boiled or used in a soup.

The seeds in this gourd can be used to make a vegetable curd that is somewhat similar to Soybean tofu.

Cucuzzi or Italian Edible Gourd recipe

Choose a firm, well-shaped cucuzzi that is free of soft spots and yellowing.

To Fry: Peel the squash and cut into French fry potato shapes. Dip into mixture of beaten egg and milk and roll in mixture of breadcrumbs and flour. Fry until golden brown.  Be careful not to over cook.

To Stew: Peel approximately 2 pounds of cucuzzi squash and dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in an oiled skillet and combine small chopped onions and 1 clove chopped garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes. Next, add 15 ounces of canned stewed tomatoes and summer for four minutes. Add the Cucuzzi squash and cook till tender (approximately 30 min). Season to taste. Serve plain over thin spaghetti.

Gourd trivia: A curvy mini gourd called Hu Lu in Mandarin usually shows up in the market during Chinese New Year. It is considered a fruit and is one of the essential items during the festive season. Hu Lu is usually wrapped around in a red-color paper ribbon that signifies luck and prosperity and used mostly as a ceremonial offering to the god.

I garden to be close to nature, grow chemical free food and to craft and create from my garden. Gourds are one crop that offer endless opportunities to make useful items and total art pieces, each unique to its own history and characteristics.

I just stumbled upon a gourd artist, Amy Goldman, who uses a very unique bronze casting technique on gourds. I was looking for information on a gourd variety called Bule gourd and found her work These pieces are beautiful and just go to show how art and nature interconnect in so many ways.

I have included the story and the link to the original story and gourd photographs are at the bottom of the article.

Amy Goldman’s Rare Forms
The New York Botanical Garden: Review

Bule Pear
The unusual texture of the Bule Pear gourd is captured in Amy Goldman’s distinctive bronze sculpture. Bule Pear (Lagenaria siceraria) is a hard-shelled gourd native to Africa.

A passionate gardener, seed saver, author, and advocate for heirloom fruits and vegetables, Amy Goldman has created a series of stunning bronze sculptures cast from the harvest of heirloom treasures she grows in her legendary garden. Each piece captures the unique shape and texture of a gourd, tomato, or melon, revealing its sensuous and ageless beauty. Goldman has bestowed on this line of limited-edition bronzes the apt name “Rare Forms.”

Amy Goldman teamed up with Polich Tallix, a fine arts foundry, to produce her sculptures. The pieces are created through the ancient “lost wax” process, used for thousands of years by artists in Egypt and China. This painstaking technique is the only one capable of reproducing in bronze the allure of these marvelous shapes.
http://www.nybgshopinthegarden.org/Bule-Pear-p-17350.html

Besides creating beautiful art from gourds, Amy Goldman shares my interest in heirloom seeds and growing organically. Make sure to check her work out.

As it nears gardening time I turn to seed catalogs to order any new or unique seeds, preferably heirloom seeds.

This Winter I have found one new gourd seed variety I have not grown yet. So it looks like I will be expanding my gourd patch.

I will also be ordering several gourd seeds.

Caveman’s Club (Lagenaria siceraria)

The Caveman’s club also called the Maranka gourd is not new to me but I need new seeds. I really like this gourd. It has a unique look and usually grows to about 18 inches long. I did raise one that was over 2 foot long one year. I used a lot of fertilizer and compost tea on the plant and pinched the end of the plant to encourage big gourds.

What I like about the Caveman’s club is the shape. It’s green with light green markings and looks like a primitive club but has a rough shapes texture to the club part of the gourd. This gives it an arty look, which I like for creating gourd pieces with. This also makes a great birdhouse.

The Caveman’s club is ready to harvest in 125 days. If you live in a cool growing zone like I do you may want to start the gourd seeds indoors. Here’s a way I start my gourd seeds,
http://thegardenersrake.com/gourds-a-different-approach-to-growing-them

Corsican Gourd (Lagenaria siceria)

The Corsican gourd also takes 125 days to mature. I start these seeds indoors to get a head start on my crop. These gourds are usually 12 inches by 6 inches and resemble a wheel of cheese, round diameter and flat.

I like to use these to make gourd bowls, lined boxes and drums. They are probably my favorite crafting gourd. This gourds origin is from Peru.

Bule Gourd (Cucurbita siceraria)

This is a gourd I have not grown before. It says it takes a125 days to mature and the vines will grow to 15 foot or as long as 35 foot. If I want larger gourds I nip the end of the vine at 15 to 2o feet and let the growth go into the gourd. It will grow to a size of 8 inches by 6 inches and is an apple shaped gourd.

What interested me in this gourd was the warted bumpy gourd skin. I saw a drinking pitcher that had been made from this gourd and it was stunning! The grower took the time to shape the gourd stem as it was growing so that it could be used later as the pitcher’s handle.

Gourds have been used for both practical and decorative purposes since biblical times and even before. They have been used for masks, sun protection, and to bury and store food in. More common uses today include making bowls, pipes, musical instruments, and birdhouses.

There are a few edible gourds but most are non-edible and can be toxic when cleaning, carving and crafting.