Gourds?

 I've seen seeds for hybrid small bottle gourds (Lagenaria) sold as
Asian vegetables.  Do you cook them like squash, or what?  When I
was a kid, we grew cuccuzi (cucuzzi?) squash one year, and it turned
out to be some kind of gourd -- had white flowers that opened at
night.  The vines grew into the corn and went crazy.  The fruit were
about the size and shape of pale green baseball bats, with
firm-but-spongy white flesh.  The chickens loved them, we didn't.
(maybe we just picked them too big)

So I have thought about trying those Asian gourd seeds next year,
but afraid they might be the worst of both worlds; taste bad, and
not be any good for drying to make bottles because the shells are
too thin.

Has anybody tried them?

Bob

 Many years ago (40+) I remember my grandmother growing "vine okra". It grew
like cucumbers, had white blossoms and looked like sliced okra when sliced.
She sliced, breaded and fried them (in the south we fry everything) like
squash. I don't remember the flavor and I don't remember them being grown
again.
Sorry, that's the best I can do,
Steve

 On 11/6/2010 1:35 PM, zxcvbob wrote:

I grew cuccuzzi  for several years Bob, just couldn't grow summer squash
because the squash borers got the plants before they could fruit. I had
my best luck harvesting them at six to eight inches long. This was
before their seeds could form and they were very tasty in any dish that
originally called for squash. If you let them get two or three feet long
and then dry them they make good containers. The grandkids loved to play
with them.

We never used them for bottles, DW did paint and decorate several and
gave them away.

Another we raised for some time was tromboncino rampicante, a climbing
zucchini, also very tasty when young and interesting when large. Go here
for info on these:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/vegetable_gardening/72715