Snake Gourd Delivery or Pickup

The snake gourd, which is botanically classified as Trichosanthes Cucumerina, is a unique fruit that grows in both tropical and subtropical climates. From its flower and its vine to the fruit itself, this plant is unlike most of its gourd relatives. You can eat them when they're immature as well as when mature, plus the flowers and vines are both edible. Some gardeners grow a form of the snake gourd just for its ornamental qualities. Its white flower has hairlike tendrils that extend from the petals, and it opens at night. The fruit is very long and snakelike.

Snake gourds originated in Asia but were later brought to and cultivated in India. Today, they're grown all over the world. Whether you want to order your snake gourds from a specialty grocery store or your local market, you can use the Instacart app or website to get your produce and make your life a little easier! Snake gourds can grow to as large as 6 feet long, making them the longest gourds in the world. While they can grow straight, more often, they're curvy and twisty, giving them their snakelike appearance.

When consumed at their young, immature state, you won't find many seeds, and their taste and texture can be likened to that of a cucumber. Another attribute of immature snake gourds is their pale, almost white skin. As they grow and mature, their skin changes from a light green to a dark red. When they reach their dark red state, they can be used as a tomato substitute. At this stage, they have a lot of seeds, and the flesh is tougher. Their waxy skin also gets harder as the fruit matures.

In India, the snake gourd is used for medicinal purposes. It has cooling properties and aids in digestive health. Many snake gourd proponents also believe it helps treat fever, hair loss, and frequent urination. Thomas Jefferson was supposedly the first person to grow the snake gourd in the United States. 

You can use snake gourds as substitutes for cucumbers in salads or stir-fry them, blend them into soup, or stuff and grill them for your next barbecue. When you're ready to try a snake gourd, don't hesitate to put one in your cart via the Instacart app. A helpful Instacart shopper will pick out your selection and deliver it to your home in as little as 2 hours!

Choosing the right snake gourd depends on what you want to use it for. Because you can consume this gourd variety when it's immature as well as mature, you'll want to know what you plan to do with your gourd before making your selection. Most people eat snake gourds when they're young. When the gourds mature, you can scrape out the seeds to make a tomatolike paste. 

Young snake gourds aren't too long and will be thicker in diameter than mature gourds. If you're trying to select a more mature gourd, look for dark red skin and a hardened exterior. An Instacart shopper will be happy to pick out your snake gourds for you to help you save time!

Because snake gourds are like cucumbers, you'll want to store them as you could cucumbers. Once you cut snake gourds up, cover them with plastic or put them in an airtight container in the crisper drawer near the back of your refrigerator. They'll only keep for a few days after they've been sliced, but uncut snake gourds are good for two to three weeks when stored in the refrigerator. To keep snake gourds longer, you can freeze them for up to a month or more.