This gourd comes in many shapes and sizes from long and snake like to spherical but the form pictured is the one common in Southern California. They will grow much larger but they get very bitter when more mature. Eventually the shell hardens and the gourd becomes hollow and may be used as a container or carved decoratively.
Young shoots and leaves are also edible. Dried strips of the gourd called Kampyo are important in Japan and often used as edible bindings to hold other ingredients together.
The photo specimen was 12 inches long, 3-3/4 inches diameter and weighed
2-1/2 pounds, a touch above average for those sold in Southern California.
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Buy: Find in Asian and other ethnic markets and at well stocked supermarkets (in California, anyway). Cook: The peel is tender and very thin so do a minimum peel with a vegetable peeler. The seeds stay in, so there is very little waste. Like other gourds they hold their shape very well in cooking rather than becoming mush like squash do. Store: They will be fine over a weeks unwrapped in the refrigerator due to their waxy coating but use quickly after cutting. |
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©Andrew Grygus
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