BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Common Name: Butternut Squash
Vernacular Names: Butternut Pumpkin
Botanical Name: Cucurbita moschata
Specimens From: Malaysia
Specimens Weight: 1844 gms [4 lb 1 oz]

Butternut squash, a winter squash believed to originate from Central to South America. It is one of the common squash available in most countries.

It's shaped like a woody elongated pear. The fruit is green with greenish stripes when it is unripe. The skin will harden and change to beige with creamy, smooth texture once it is ripe. It can be kept for months and it will be sweeter cause it will ripen further. The hardened pulp is a rich orange. The skin and seeds are edible but most of us prefer to skip it.

Butternut squash, steamed

There are several ways of cooking this squash. Roast, bake, grill, steam, fry or soup-base. The picture is a dish of steamed butternut squash in cubes, with no sugar nor sauces added.

A healthy fruit high in Vitamin A and beta-carotene. Delicious on its own but sometimes I will add a little olive butter to enhance the flavour.


Fruit: Butternut squash; Cucurbita moschata; Cucurbitaceae.


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SPINE GOURD

Common Name: Spine Gourd
Botanical Name: Momordica dioica
Specimens From: India
Specimens Weight: 80 gm [2.82 oz] (average wgt per fruit)

Spine gourd is cultivated in India. It is popular in some parts of India but hardly known in most places. This small, cute, spiny fruit is always used as a vegetable for cooking. It may look spiny but it is so soft to the touch that it won't hurt your fingers!

It is green when unripe and will turn yellow when mature. The seeds are white and soft but it will turn dark brown and hard when ripe. As in most fruits used as vegetables, always get those still in the green stage.

You may cook it in many different ways. Stir-fry with Indian spices, cook in curry, deep-fry or simply steam it plain to bring out the full aroma of this vegetable.

Do not get confused with another fruit, cucumis dipsaceus, commonly known as teasel gourd. From a glance, both fruits do look alike. But those fruits are with hair-like, similar to the rambutan whereas this fruit have small, short spine.


Fruit: Spine gourd; momordica dioica; Curcurbitaceae.


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PIEL DE SAPO MELON

Common Name: Piel De Sapo Melon
Botanical Name: Cucumis melo
Specimens from: Spain
Specimens Weight: 1920 gm [4 lb 3.7oz]

Piel de sapo melon is one of the popular melons originated from Spain and it is widely available in Europe. Its Spanish name, when translated, means "toad skin." Obviously in reference to this fruit's green blotched rind. The rind is also waxy and with no netting.

It is usually oval in shape and the flesh is off-white to yellow. It is highly aroma, sweet and juicy. Would consider it to be one of the better tasting melons around. It looks almost identical to the "santa claus melon."

Piel de sapo melon; Cucumis melo; Inodorus group; Cucurbitaceae.


Other fruits in the same family: Curcurbitaceae [Gourd Family]


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TINDA (Indian Round Gourd)

Common Name: Tinda
Vernacular Names: Indian round gourd, Indian baby pumpkin.
Botanical Name: Praecitrullus fistulosus
Specimens From: India
Specimens Weight: 90 gm [3.2 oz] (average wgt per fruit)

Tinda, commonly known by its Punjabi name, is native to India and it is popular in the surrounding countries near India in South Asia but virtually unknown elsewhere.

Tinda is firm and round with a slightly flattened shape. Size is usually smaller than a green apple. It is green ranging from pale to dark green. As in most gourds, there are numerous flattened seeds but it is edible.

So how does it tastes like? No, this fruit is not consumed raw. Tinda is always used, when in its unripe stage, as a cooking vegetable. It goes well with several Indian and Pakistani cuisines. It is also great for pickles. On its own, it tastes bland and slightly sourish but with all the spices and curries thrown in, it tastes great.

Take note that this is "tinda" and it is NOT "tindli". Both have similar sounding name from different regions or languages which add to the confusion but it is an entirely different fruit.


Tinda; Indian round gourd; Indian baby pumpkin; Praecitrullus fistulosus; Cucurbitaceae.


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SNAKE GOURD

• Common Name: Snake gourd
  
• Scientific Name: Trichdsanthes cucumerina
  
• Specimens From: Malaysia
  
• Specimens Weight: 338 gm
  

Snake gourd is a narrow and longish fruit that looks like, what else? A snake! It is long, sometimes curve, and some varieties can grow more than 150 cm (5 feet) in length. It is believed to originate from South Asia. Snake gourd is always used as a vegetable and it is very popular in India, in Southeast Asia and also in some parts of China.

Most of them are dark green with several light green lines or streaks or the other way round but there are some varieties of which, are almost or totally white. It is soft and breaks easily when bend. There are numerous seeds, of which it is relatively large and slightly gray. The seeds and those sticky mass are always discarded when cooking. The skin are usually peeled off too.

When it is fully ripe, the inside of this fruit will turn red, similar to bitter gourd or melon but it tastes better when it is still green. As with most of the vegetables, there isn't much of a taste but still reasonably nice to eat. Occasionally, some varieties may have a trace of bitter taste.

Snake gourd can be cooked in many different ways. It goes well with curries, yogurts, stuffings, stir-fry or whatever you can think of. Try it for a change! Don't worry, this snake won't bite :)

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LUO HAN GUO

• Common Name: Luo Han Guo
  
• Vernacular Names: Arhat fruit, Monk's fruit
  
• Scientific Name: Siraitia grosvenorii
  
• Specimens From: China
  

Luo han guo, the name of this uncommon fruit, is a Mandarin pinyin. It simply means "Arhat fruit" or "Monk's fruit". It was named after a group of buddhist monks, who was using this fruit during the sixth century in Southern China. It is now grown in Southern China and no where else. But four other similar looking species can be found in Taiwan, Thailand and India.

It is green when fresh but it is almost impossible to get hold of a fresh one as it was never exported or sold in the fresh form. It is always in the dried, brown fruit as it cannot be stored in the fresh form. The fruit is slightly round to oval and smooth but slightly hairy to the touch. It is unusually light weight in the dried form.

Luo han guo is extremely sweet no doubt. Its extract is almost 300 times sweeter than sugar but minus the high calorie. Hence, it has been used as a natural sweetener.

How to eat it? No, you don't eat it. You just drink its extracted juice. Wash the dried fruit and then, cut it into half. You will be able to see the numerous flattened seeds stacking together (refer to photo). The easiest way is to put the cut fruit into a bowl or container and pour boiling water onto it. Cover it with a lid and let it simmer by itself for a while.

One fruit is enough for two persons. Surprisingly, it isn't that sweet when you drink it but of course, it will depends on how much water you have added. You may need a little accustom to the taste as it also contains some aroma besides just sweet taste.

Luo han guo are used mainly for medicinal purposes, like heatstroke, sore throats, cough or for any other respiratory problems. There are several companies selling it in other forms too (powdered, pureed, bottled etc) and can be found in most of the Chinese herbal or medicine shops.

Luo Han Guo; Arhat fruit; Monk's fruit; Siraitia grosvenorii; Cucurbitaceae.


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BOTTLE GOURD (Container Shape)

• Common Name: Bottle gourd
  
• Vernacular Names: Calabash, Hulu
  
• Scientific Name: Lagenaria siceraria
  
• Specimens From: China
  
• Specimens Weight: 278 gm
  

Bottle gourd was one of the earliest cultivated fruits, dating back at least several thousand years BC. Its origin is said to be from Africa but it is still disputable and debated on. It is grown mainly for its multi-purpose usages rather than for food consumption.

Bottle gourd comes in numerous shape and sizes, including those intentional growth. The bottle gourd photos shown above is one of the most common shape used as a container. The smaller fruit is for decorative purposes whereas the larger matured fruit is mainly used as utensil, bottle, container or pot. The huge ones can reach way over three feet in length. It is so huge and fat that it looks scary yet funny.

Its usages is so versatile that it can even be used as musical instrument, pipes or anything you can think of. Some of the shapes are so unnatural as it can be forced-grown in earthen molds or constricted by bands, to form whatever shapes the grower intended for.

Its natural color varies from light to dark green, with or without blotches, when fresh but will turn brown when it is dried. There are many white seeds scattered throughout the white flesh inside but it will be hollowed, cleaned and dried when used other than for food. The dried fruits are one of the most painted fruits around, similar to pumpkin. You will be able to find many painted ones, with all kinds of funny faces, designs and patterns.

Those bottle gourds that are cultivated for food, are usually longish and cylindrical in shape without the indented near the center. It is mainly used as a vegetable and can be quite tasteless, bitter or slightly sweet on its own.

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Hami Melon

Common Name: Hami Melon
Botanical Name: Cucumis melo
Specimens from: China
Specimens Weight: 1816 gm [4 lb 0.5 oz]

Hami melon is originated from China. The name, "hami" derives from a place in Xinjiang, North-west China, where it is very popular for their melons. For several thousand years, Hami and its surrounding provinces have been the traditional growing areas of this melon but have since spread to the south of China too.

There are many kinds of hami melons and it can be in several different shapes and colors. But it is usually from round to oval in shape. Rind colors are off-white, yellow, brown or green. Some with lines, netting or patches.

Depending on the various cultivars, it is usually sweet and crisp but some may be quite tasteless, especially when it is not fully ripe. When it is fully ripe, it is sometimes with dark patches on the rind as if it's gonna rot soon and heavier for its size. But do not wait till it is overripe as it will get too mushy


Hami melon; Cucumis melo; Inodorus group; Curcurbitaceae.


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