Harvesting Winter Melon

The winter melons are getting big.  Are they ready for harvest?  

When the winter melon has a whitish cast on the outer skin, this is the sign that the melon is mature.

More ready to harvest winter melons. 

Two really big ones. 

This melon is over 20 pounds!

When cut up, this is how it looks inside.  The pulp and the seeds are to be cut out.  If the seeds are spread to dry, they are good for planting.  

The skin is very tough, so it should be cut out.  These are ready to be used for cooking.  

Winter melon is commonly used in Chinese and Indian cooking.  It is usually used for soap in Chinese cooking.   Here is a meatball and winter melon soup.

If anyone is interested in getting seeds from Betty for future planting, please e-mail englishangora88@yahoo.com     If you are going to a show in our local area, I'll bring them.   If you are out of area, please supply postage and I'll be happy to mail them to you.