Zucca Melon (Lagenaria siceraria)

Between 1934-1955, the Zucca Melon or Zucca Gourd was an important crop in Oliver, Summerland, Osoyoos and Keremeos, BC. When the war prohibited the importation of citrus peel, The Zucca Melon took its place for candied peel, which was used in fruit cakes. Zucca Melon seeds were originally smuggled into Canada from California. They are actually a member of the Bottle Gourd family originating in Africa, so the long hot summers of the Okanagan were ideal for growing it. After the 1950’s, Zucca became more and more scarce until they were almost extinct. Sharon Rempel who was a head gardener at the Grist Mill in Keremeos, BC went to incredible lengths to track down Zucca seed. She finally obtained seed from Glenn Swenson of Sandwich, Illinois who had been growing them in his back yard for the past 30 years. A small handful of seed arrived at the Grist Mill in 1990 and efforts began to preserve this treasured variety. Zucca Melons weigh from 60 to 120 pounds and are oblong and light green in color and have been described as “a cross between a vegetable marrow and a hippopotamus”.

10 seeds per packet