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I was trying to buy a winter melon at a local Asian market. Not super familiar with winter melon, I thought I found one, dark green, about 20" long, but it seemed unusual in that it had a bulgy bottom, not just a smooth cylinder -- but I thought that might just be age.

When I got it home and cut it open, it was yellow inside (winter melon is, AFAIK, white inside). And when we cooked it in soup, it was wonderful! Quick-cooking, soft and sweet, like candied pumpkin, really terrific.

I did save some of the seeds, but I'd like to know what it is. I don't have photos of the whole thing, because we didn't love it until we'd eaten it.

top of squash

cross-section of squash

J Kelly
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2 Answers2

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We now think it was an immature Naples Long Squash. We thought the color and size were wrong, but I went back to the same shop and in its place were huge orangey-brown squashes, one the size of my thigh! Bought a small one, only as big as my whole arm, cooked it, and yes it was the same color and taste, slightly mealier texture. Good squash!

J Kelly
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I suspect that what you have here is a Marrow or at least a hybrid of marrow with something else. Marrow themselves are the mature form of courgette/zucchini, so they are a long fruit, up to about 60 cm/2 feet long. They are usually about 10-15 cm/5-6 in across. The flesh tends to be whiteish and the skin is relatively soft compared to that of a pumpkin. They are quick cooking and have sweet, firm flesh that softens rapidly during cooking. They do indeed make a delicious soup and is commonly used by many Asian families that I know in my country for making soups.

All the Cucurbitaceae (cucumber, pumpkin, squash, gourd etc. family) hybridize very easily, so you tend to get features of one carrying over to another, making exact identification almost impossible. It might be a hybrid of marrow with a type of pumpkin to give the more yellow flesh and the bulging stem.

bob1
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