I've heard a lot of good things about Cucuzza ...I am going to grow some myself...My husband is from the Italian section of Tampa and he remembers eating it as a kid....

You are very fortunate to have Cucuzza. very hard to find seeds. It would be great if you allowed one to grow real big and make seeds and then offer them on GW, I hope to be first in line.

Does anyone have a good source for seeds.

I originally got my seeds for this on Ebay, and since have found some at a weird local chain discounter very early in the Spring. I regret that I have only a few seeds left and so not enough to share. You are right, they are hard to find.

Marial in PA - that is one HUGE cucuzzi fruit. I have been picking mine at a smaller stage, fearing they would begin to toughen. Perhaps I will let them grow a little longer now.

Cucuzzi seed sources;
Onalee Seeds, Seedfest, Reimerseeds, Bakercreek, Victory seed, New England seed. Remember that this cultivar is a true gourd and will be listed under gourds not squash.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cucuzzi Seeds

I just bought some and have seen them listed in several places...

The key is harvesting it when it is young for eating, no more than 6-8 inches long. It's a fast grower so you have to watch it every day. You can use it as a substitute for zucchini.

I must say that I'm totally amazed you all have nice things to say about Cucuzza. The last time I posted about them, was the time I realized they were not the zucchini plants the store owner told me they were. They were labeled as "Old World Zucchini." I listed to the greenhouse owner and bought them. He, too, thought they were zucchini or he wouldnt have pointed to them on the rack, when I asked him where the zucchini plants were, in the beginning of the season.

So at that time the people who contributed to the post said you couldnt do anything with them except pickle them. I was quite disappointed and thought I was growing "a worthless flop."

When I read on the i-net that you could prepare them as you would zucchini I became more hopeful. Since I'm watching my weight, my favorite way to prepare regular zucchini is to slice them into rounds, drizzle olive oil, salt & pepper and grill them rather than stuff them, etc. So that's what I did with this Cucuzza Sunday afternoon for lunch. WE liked it but not as much as zucchini. I have about 6 more ready to be picked this week. I sure wish they were zucchini though....

I hope you find seeds. I have no idea how to get seeds from a fruit. I'm sure it's easy. You probably take them out of the fruit then dry them out on a paper towel or something.

Cucuzza has many different names, you must do a search on the i-net then you could see the different names.

If anybody wants seeds just email me and I'll try to save them from a fruit I cut next. They are sure are pretty in the garden....I dont recommend them over zucchini though, for taste.

Marial, you have very nice kitchen cabinets!

To save squash (or gourd) seeds you need to let one of the fruit grow to a fully mature, ripe stage. Then remove and dry the seeds. The seeds should be plump, like the ones you bought.

Jim

I bought these as plants, not seeds. It sounds easy to save seeds though. If anyone wants any, please let me know....

Wow Maria...what a find! The only place I have even seen them was in my grandpa's garden. He was full blooded Italian and grew all of his own veggies. They are yummy indeed if prepared in the right way. I remember getting in trouble for playing with these "big green bats" as a child...LOL. Thanks for the walk down memory lane Maria.

Hi! I am growing cucuzza for the first time (from seed). Is it supposed to be hairy? If they get bigger than 6-8 inches should I just let them grow on for seed and for fun, or can you still eat them? Can you snap them off or should I cut them free with a knife or scissor?

I fed my plant that organic fish fertilizer and its gone crazy.

They sure are strange looking things, but its been fun. They are now climbing up our deck canopy. They seem to get bigger every few hours.

Thanks for all your knowledge,
Barb

It looks like Bottol Gourd.

I mean it looks like Bottle Gourd not Bottol Gourd.

Help!!!!!
I am growing what I think is a cucuzza plant. It's decided to grow along my fence and is almost 12ft now. But when it fruits they only get to be an inch or so long before they turn brown and die!!! :o(
I have been giving them lots of water..... any other ideas???

Removing some shoots will help.Probably soil has more Ntrogen in it.

Chaman, It is a cultivar of bottle gourd. Bottle gourds are a popular edible in Asia, particularly India. This one that has spread into the Mediterranean.

Thanks farmerdilla.Good to know about cultivar.Hopefully I will try to get some seeds to grow it.

Most Asian seed companies will carry a good selection of bottle gourds designed for the table. This Indian company has a one of the better selections

Here is a link that might be useful: Bottle gourd

my plants are growing greeat do i cut the dead leaves off or the white flowers? do I leave the stems from the dead green leaves help ps these seeds I have are from sicily about 25yrs old I rehidrated them dried them out and planted them I just dont know what to cut off
thanks

I am growing cucuzza for the first time. All of the flowers seem to be males. How long does it take before female flowers appear?

Andrew

Cucuzza is a wonderful squash, you can't over cook it because it stays firm, doesn't get mushy, it soaks up the flavor of whatever you cook it in. Cube it up in spaghetti, lasagna, swiss steak, goulash, it takes on the flavor of the dish, it's delicious and a great source of fiber. I have plenty of seeds and all it takes to get more seeds is to let one squash stay on the vine and go to seed, you'll have seeds year after year to share with your friends. If you want seeds, email me at borcoinc@yahoo.com with your mailing address and I will send you enough seeds to get you started. (25 seeds will get you going)

I brought seeds back from Sicily. You can also cut the young leaves and sauté them with garlic and oil. They are a very popular greens in Sicily. The squash is great to peel and seed I add it to all my soups. Can anyone tell me the best fertilizer to use besides fish emulsion?

Cucuzza (or cucuzzi) is, as others have pointed out, an edible gourd. The vines are rampant, and should be given tall, strong support. A single vine will densely cover 6-8 linear feet of trellis, and reach out for more unless trained back on itself. The flowers open late, and are mostly pollinated by night-flying insects. Male flowers usually appear first; female flowers appear when the vine has grown larger, and are in greater numbers in late summer.

To save seed, a gourd must be allowed to grow to maturity. This will take quite a while; in my climate, there is not always enough time before frost. If the gourd is close to maturity when picked, letting it cure indoors for a month or so will allow the seed to ripen further. I let mine dry until the seeds inside rattle when shaken.

For me, allowing a single gourd per vine to mature did not prevent new gourds from setting, and the yield continued until frost.

As already stated, the very young squash can be sliced & eaten much like zucchini. The gourds are still edible even when quite large - even 2-3' long - provided that the shell has not yet begun to harden. These can be peeled, chopped, and added to soups... which IMO, is their best use.

Can you eat the skin if you don't want to peel it, and it's still tender?

If they are picked small and the skin doesn't get too thick then yes you can eat the skin.

We usually peel them, regardless of size. If you choose to use the very young gourds without peeling, you probably should scrub off the fuzz first.

I ask because often, much of the nutrients are in the skin, so I leave it on if it is edible, unless it tastes bad or is toxic or hard shell, something like that. Cucuzza seems to have a tender skin even at full size. Here is a video where the grower peels them with just a potato peeler. Skip to 5 minutes in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP4Q7dNZLVc

I ordered some seeds from Seeds of India so will try it with the skin on, if they will grow here.

Wow old post, fun to see that questions keep coming back. Anyhow the other name for these squash is Climbing Tromboncino. You can get them easily from Fedco at this link. http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/search?item=1460. Give them ROOM, they can go crazy, my dad had them on a 10 ft tall fence, they went up and back down! They are fun to grow, never ate one since I also grow more traditional zucchini, but they sure make a conversation piece. :)

" Here is a video where the grower peels them with just a potato peeler."

That's how I peel them too.

"Anyhow the other name for these squash is Climbing Tromboncino."

Tromboncino (a.k.a Zuccetta Rampicante) is a different vegetable. It is a squash, C. moschata, related to butternut squash. Both are vigorous climbers, though, and are similar in appearance when young. I love Tromboncino and grow it every year; because it resists SVB (which I have in abundance) it has permanently replaced zucchini in my garden.

Cucuzza appears to be a bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria. When they are fully mature, and start to taste bitter, they can be toxic, especially if juiced, according to the wiki, so don't eat the bitter ones. A commercial grower told me "The cucuzza skin is completely edible. We suggest peeling because the batter will stick better if peeled and fried and the skin can be very chewy if not cooked slowly for it to become tender."

I ordered seeds from Seeds Of India and will try growing them flat on the ground, since I won't have enough trellis space this year.

Happy, if you don't provide something for them to climb on, they WILL find something nearby on their own... probably other vegetables (which they will smother). ;-)

You are correct about the species for Cucuzza, it is a hard-shelled gourd. I have several fully mature gourds (about 3' long) sitting behind me, which I let dry for seed last year... only a few of which I've broken open.

I'm curious..I am growing cucuzza for the first time this year. I know you can eat the tendrils and new leaves. Has anyone tried to use the older, larger leaves? Possibly stuffing and rolling like Dolmas?