Hairy Gourd Facts and Nutritional value

Hairy Gourd is a nutrient dense vegetable found growing in fertile, medium moisture, organically rich, well-drained loam soil. It is green to dark green with pale green speckles and have mild subtle flavor somewhat like a cucumber or summer squash. It must be included in our regular diet to remain safe from different life threatening illness.

Name	Hairy Gourd
Scientific Name	Benincasa hispida
Native	Origin is uncertain but Indo China and India are regarded to be the centres of greatest diversity.
Common/English Name	Fuzzy Gourd, Festival Gourd, Hairy Gourd, Fuzzy Melon, Jointed Gourd, Hairy Cucumber, Hairy Melon
Name in Other Languages	Vietnamese: Bi. Chinese : Jie Gua, Chieh Kua Thai : Faeng Malaysia : Mao Kua ( Cantonese ) Japanese : Heariimeron
Description	Hairy Gourd also known as Fuzzy Gourd is actually an oblong cylindrical, dumb-bell-shaped vegetable full of important nutrient, minerals and vitamins. It is used in numerous food recipes due to its delicate, almost bland taste.
Plant Growth Habit	Annual creeping vine with branched tendrils
Growing Climate	Prefers a temperate, warm climate
Soil	Organically rich,Fertile, medium moisture, well-drained loams
Stem	Thick,coarse, prominently-furrowed, hairy stems
Leaf	Large, roughly-textured, 5-lobed leaves (4-10″ long)
Flower	Bright yellow, 6–12 cm across
Fruit shape & size	Oblong cylindrical, dumb-bell-shaped (narrow within the center), 15–23 cm long and 5–10 cm across with roundish end and enclosed with thick, bristle-like white trichomes on the surface
Fruit color	Green to dark green with pale green speckles and very much smaller and lighter than the wax gourd.
Flavor/aroma	Mild subtle flavor somewhat like a cucumber or summer squash
Fruit Taste	Delicate, almost bland taste
Major Nutrition	Vitamin C 69 mg (76.67%) Vitamin B1 0.07 mg (5.83%) Potassium 250 mg (5.32%) Total dietary Fiber 1.7 g (4.47%) Vitamin B2 0.05 mg (3.85%) Iron 0.3 mg (3.75%) Magnesium 15 mg (3.57%) Zinc 0.2 mg (1.82%) Carbohydrate 2 g (1.54%) Protein 0.7 g (1.40%)
Health Benefits	Improves Physical Performance Help Treat Certain Types of Disease Immune System Health Blood pressure and cardiovascular health Steadies your blood-sugar level Treatment of Cancer
Calories in 1cup (100gm)	11
Traditional Uses	In Ayurveda, Fruit is helpful for the management of a host of medical problems, including lung diseases, cough, epilepsy, asthma, internal hemorrhage and urine retention. It is also an excellent medicine for tapeworms.
How to Eat	Immature and mature but not ripe fruit is picked for cooking after peeling the skin. Firm flesh is sliced and use in stews, soups, stir-fry on its own or with fish, meat or other vegetables. The gourd is often made half, hollowed out and filled along with meat (pork or beef), mushrooms and shrimps then steamed in a pot or even fried. Taiwanese recipe recommends shredding and frying with chilies. Firm flesh of the mature fruit is candied with sugar and can be dried for future use. Young shoots, flowers and leaves are sometimes consumed as vegetable as for wax gourd. By frying or roasting, the seeds are prepared as a snack food.

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