Description
20 Seeds per pack
Planting Instructions for Italian Edible Cucuzzi Gourd Seeds
Italian Edible Cucuzzi Gourds are heat loving vines that require a long growing season, and lots of room to sprawl. For large, thick shelled gourd seeds soak overnight to speed germination. Plant Gourds after danger of frost, in full sun, 1″ deep, in 1′ diameter hills, 4-5 seeds per hill, hills 4-5′ apart, in rows 5-10′ apart. Thin to 2-3 plants per hill. In cooler climates start Gourd seeds indoors in individual peat pots, 4 weeks before last frost. Germination should occur in 10-15 days in soil 75-90°F. Can trellis small-fruited varieties to conserve space. Harvest Italian Edible Cucuzzi Gourds once the fruit’s stem turns brown. For dry gourds, will likely require further drying in a cool, dry, well-ventilated space.
Pussywillow –
Cucuzzi has become my favorite vegetable :). Cooked, it has a mushroom-like texture with a slightly smoky essence. My husband didn’t care for it until I treated it like hash browns–shred, mix with egg, a little oatmeal & salt & fry. In many ways, it can be treated like zucchini. The flavor is distinctive, but mild. The velvety leaves (& shoot tips to ~3′ back) are delicious too: “tenerumi”. Cook with olive oil, onion, garlic, tomato & salt (the salt really changes the flavor)–makes a flavorful soup or pasta sauce. It tastes like I’ve added Italian seasoning. The vine is so vigorous that you really want to eat it to keep it under control! Our first year, it went to the top of a ~30′ spruce! (quite a conversation piece for the guys replacing the roof that summer 😉 It’s great for vertical gardening. I do get more gourds when I hand-pollinate–pick a male flower (the ones that face upward & don’t look like they have a mini gourd below the petals), pull off the petals & rub what’s left in the center of the female flower (the ones that *do* look like they have a mini gourd behind the petals). Our growing season in zone 4 was dicey for saving seed–I let the first gourd grow & waited as long as I could to pick it & bring it in to let it finish maturing indoors. It never got dry enough to *use* as a gourd, but most years I got viable seed (& the years I didn’t, previous years’ seed was still viable).