Ash gourd (aka., winter melon, white pumpkin) is a completely underrated vegetable/fruit that is more common in Indian cuisine! It has been touted as strongly anti-inflammatory, and with it's neutral flavor, it can be used in many ways. Add it to savory dishes like curry, and it will soak up the flavors in the sauce. Slice it thin and eat it raw with a little bit of honey. Juice it and mix it with other flavors (lemonade, cherry juice) for a healthier substitute for acid-laden orange juice in the morning!
Watermelon-sized, grows on a vine on the ground, but can be carefully trellised. We recommend starting indoors a few weeks before last frost, but can be direct seeded after last frost date. Harvest when the fruit sounds hollow and it is covered with a white powder. Has small hairy spines, use gloves when harvesting and use gloves or an old cloth to rub away hairy spines.
Germination tested but not guaranteed