Mapudzi Edible Gourd – Delicacy!

This is a very exciting new vegetable crop for us! Our friend from Zimbabwe gifted us this edible gourd, proclaiming it to be a delicacy from home. Some time later when our own vines began fruiting we were shocked at how delicious this vegetable was sautéed on a skillet. Mapudzi cooks like a summer squash, but with a rich potato flavor and a wonderful texture. I may go as far to say this is one of the best vegetables I’ve ever eaten. Unlike many summer squash, this plant is very well adapted to Florida conditions.

Mapudzi is an African form of common gourd, Lagenaria siceraria. Gourds are extremely diverse, with important domesticated forms grown all around the world for thousands of years for both use as containers and as food. Edible gourds are widely cultivated for Asian and Indian cuisine and they are often available in the produce section of Asian grocery stores. Southern Africa is thought to be the center of origin for Lagenaria siceraria. It’s fascinating to grow a variety from this region knowing cultivation goes back very far in this place and may be genetically quite different from types grown in Asia in more recent times.

This vigorous vine prefers to sprawl on the ground, unlike some gourds which seem to favor climbing. We had good success planting around March 1st, with production taking place in late spring and early summer. Some vines went on to grow some through the summer but without a ton of fruit set. We have a lot to learn about best cultivation practices. For now, we know that this gourd is well adapted to Florida and is quite pest and disease resistant. Fruits are consumed when young and still soft enough for a fingernail to puncture the outer skin. To save seed, allow gourd to mature and harden. There is genetic variation in this gourd variety, with each plant producing gourds with slightly different shapes and colors. Surprisingly, we found that these can transplant well from small pots.

Due to rarity, seed count per pack is lower than we would like. In the future, packs will contain more seed. Each pack contains 15 seeds.

Lagenaria siceraria