You have to try it!

You have to try it! 11/19/2010

My neighbours are growing Guada Bean (also called Snake Gourd or New Guinea Bean) and its not actually a bean but a member of the Cucurbit family.
It's an annual climber and very suited to our tropical climate as it is generally resistant to mildew. They can grow up to a metre long and have a pale green skin with white stripes. Pick them while young, the ones in the photo below are approx 60cm long!
So we tried them for the first time a few nights ago and they are seriously delicious!! Even my husband says so which is saying something as he is the most fussy person on Earth and usually if it's not peas and carrots then he doesn't want to know about it!
I didn't do any crazy cooking with them, no experimenting at this stage. Just did what my neighbour suggested which was lightly steaming, a smidgen of butter and salt & pepper. Perfecto!!!
So guess what we will be growing next in our garden?

Comments

Janice

01/03/2011 04:32

Ah Yes, we have just finished our first season of growing these here in Cairns and LOVED them, so versatile and so easy to grow! Luckily we had a very large in place already and the vine easily covered it. Can't wait for another vine to grow now, wish I had one to follow on already. My husband and my 4yr love it too.

Urban Farmer Up North

01/03/2011 12:44

Interested in how you cooked them Janice. I still only cook them as I described previously, however was talking to my neighbour and they have tried stuffing them with a mince mixture, said it was delicious. Will have to start getting adventurous. Their vines produce a huge amount, one day they picked a garbage bag full of bean!!!!

Tara

01/17/2011 01:59

Hi Janice,

Is it possible to get some guada bean seeds? The one i am growing is called trichosanthes anguina but it is not like the guada bean. It looks more like a long slim bottle gourd type.

Irene Fehrenbacher

04/28/2011 18:57

Hello i also would like to grow a few.My riend is from india and he got very exited when he saw your picture. hope to hear from you

Urban Farmer Up North

04/29/2011 04:17

Try sourcing seed through Green Harvest. As far as I know Eden Seed don't have them available. There has been a bit of confusion as to the correct name of this, everyone has their own name for it and I'm not sure which is correct!! I've also heard it called Stink Bean (and yes the skin does smell!). Really need to find the botanical name. Irene, how does your friend prepare the bean?

ramblings of an urban farmer

I love food gardening.
I truely believe that every household should take some responsibility for their food security. Children of today need to be aware of where food comes from and that possibly applies to a lot of adults as well.
There are also many food alternatives that we need to explore. Supermarkets only sell a small portion of the fruits and vegetables that are available for human consumption.
Gardening is about exploring, and there are lots of interesting and nutritious edible plants that aren't 'main stream'.
Food gardening is extremely rewarding (and sometimes just a little heartbreaking, especially when you find caterpillars feasting on your bok choy) and wonderfully FUN!

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