Has anyone ever planted cucuzza?

[DiMart]

Has anyone ever planted cucuzza?

When I was young all of the old Italians used plant a Sicilian squash call cucuzza, so when I found some seeds I had to give it a try. I planted a few in the back near a trellis, but when they didn’t really do anything I forgot about them. The area where I planted them became abandoned and overgrown. A few weeks ago-late August or early September, I found that they were growing. I pointed them in the direction of my trellis. The trellis is now covered and I’m getting fruit. I remembered these as something that would produce during the summer and I’m surprised that it didn’t take off until so late in the season. I would like to get advice on how to handle them next spring. I’m interested in hearing from anyone who has had experience with cucuzza.

Thank you,
DiMart

 

[AntonioCalcano]

I haven't planted one but I would definitely love to do so. From what I've found out cucuzza is vegetable which falls into the category of gourds. It is a slender, long Italian vegetable which is harvested and eaten in the summer season. This Italian native veggie is best suited for Mediterranean climates. The cucuzza squash needs warm soil to begin germination and develop into a fully grown plant. The normal gestation period is usually about 55 days after sowing the seeds of the plant.

 

[amelia88]

I've never even heard of that squash here - I'm curious to know if it perhaps goes by a different name elsewhere in the world.

 

[Marck]

Cuccuzza is a form of Calabash or Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), originally native to tropical Africa but now grown worldwide for food, ornament and other utilities. The fruit might have even floated across the ocean, introducing itself to the Americas and elsewhere. This white-flowered gourd is quite different from the more common yellow-flowered gourds and squashes of the genus Cucurbita, but can also be raised as an annual vegetable crop in temperate climates. The immature fruit is eaten, while the hard outer shell of mature gourds can be fashioned into various utensils.

Pictured below is a different cultivar of Lagenaria siceraria grown to spectacular effect on a pergola at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I have seen that here, one of the Amish markets. never tried it.

 

[UrbanWild]

Resurrecting...

There are somewhere north of 60 varieties of cucuzzi/lauki/bottle gourd/etc. with numerous shapes and colorations represented. They're important mainly in African, Asian and Italian areas.

An Indian friend of mine had heard me say in past years that squash vine borers and the hordes (literally thousands) of squash bugs killed my desire to continue to try growing squashes. She called and said she had three seedlings about a foot long that she couldn't use. I was just getting a bed prepared for some winter crops around late July or early August so I took them as an experiment. I will grow them from now on.

The vines, leaves and even the fruit to small extent has an of smell to them. The fruits lost that smell quickly after harvest. It isn't horrible... Just odd. But I'm the entire time I saw zero squash bugs. The vines are not hollow like many squashes so they're not much of an opportunity for borers.

When I planted, we were in the middle of a drought so they just languished and didn't do much. I babied them and watered them and after a few weeks they EXPLODED! Leaves were as big as my torso. Vines ran everywhere. I swear they had to grow a foot a day. I added lots of structure for them to climb and spread about 7 get above ground. If we didn't get winter they might have eaten the house!

My efforts were generously rewarded. You can harvest them MUCH larger than say, zucchini and they remain tender. If they're not used in a day or two they seeds continue to develop. When that happens, you can just cut them out. The variety I had got 4-5" in diameter and 16-24"+ whenever I harvested them. I filled freezers, gave away plenty, etc.

My Indian friend had me bring over a couple larger ones. We made a curry with one. With the other, we made a dessert called halwa. I love Indian food but when I see halwa at an Indian restaurant, I avoid it. It's usually made with carrots and the texture for me is a bit off-putting. The bottle gourd halwa was more smooth and IMHO lent itself to the dish far better.

Anyway, edible bottle gourds are worth the effort and space. They're versatile and produce HEAVILY. I could see them even being used over arbors/trellises/etc to create seasonal shade, private areas, over benches, and play areas. They LOVE sun, heat and water and the plants turn them into biomass like crazy.

I'm a fan.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

The normal gestation period is usually about 55 days after sowing the seeds of the plant.

Did you mean 'germination period' ? That seemed so long I googled it, they say 7 to 10 days at 21 to 35 degrees C soil temperature. That's really warm.

 

[UrbanWild]

It shouldn't take long at all. They sprout about like most squashes. You can also shortcut a bit by soaking the seeds for 24 hours.

 

[Meadowlark]

...My efforts were generously rewarded. You can harvest them MUCH larger than say, zucchini and they remain tender. ...

Sounds good to me...zucchini gets too large too quickly for me.

I was looking for something to fill some trellis space...and found it. Thanks.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Oh to be looking for things to put in a space, rather than a space to put things in.

 

[Meadowlark]

Oh to be looking for things to put in a space, rather than a space to put things in.

I built a new trellis mainly for cucumbers this year. I'm using my old cattle panel trellis for tomatoes, rather than staking them as I normally do.

The cucuzzi should fit well on that new trellis with cucumbers as I only need three or four cucumber plants growing at the same time. I like to bring on new plants every couple of months or so to keep a continuous supply. I still get a kick out of trying something new every year.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I still get a kick out of trying something new every year.

When that stops you will know you are finally an official "Boring old git"