Gourd Family

The Gourd Family: This family is also known as cucurbitaceae and refers to harvests like melons, cucumbers, luffas, watermelons and squashes. All these plants grow as vines.

Melons can refer to either the fruit or the plant and different cultivars of melon have been produced, one of them being muskmelon. Very often the fruit is mistaken to be a vegetable and some call it a culinary vegetable. It can thus be classified as: culinary vegetables, and culinary fruit. Some of the melons are:

Bitter melon is a culinary vegetable and is one of the bitterest vegetables. It is also called as bitter melon or bitter gourd and is cultivated in south Asia, Africa, China, and Caribbean. Bitter gourd has some medicinal properties; it helps in fighting sluggish digestion, constipation, and dyspepsia. It is also useful in treating malaria and diabetes. Laboratory tests reveal that bitter gourd can help in treatment of HIV infection.

Winter melon is also called as ash gourd or white gourd and is consumed as a vegetable. It is also known as wax gourd for its wax-like outer body. It is bitter and is eaten by south and east Asians. It is extensively used by Indians and Pakistanis to make a candy called the petha and is also made into a fruit drink.

Watermelon is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family and is one of the most common melons found in the world. It is a rich source of vitamin C and its seeds contain fat and protein and are consumed by many as a snack. Its seed is also used to extract oil. There are more than 1200 varieties of watermelons. Some of the varieties are: Carolina Cross, Yellow Crimson Watermelon, Orangeglo, Densuke Watermelon, Cream of Saskatchewan, Melitopolski, and Moon and Stars.