Gourds

On our way to visit friends and family for Thanksgiving we stopped at Bears Fruit Market in Keremeos, BC. There are so many produce markets in Keremeos, I lost count on our drive through. The Similkameen Valley, the area surrounding Keremeos, is a very fertile area and it has the most organic farmers in one area compared to any other area in Canada (awesome!). It's truly the land of plenty. 

At Bears Fruit Market we were impressed by all the gourds that were on display. I thought I knew a few gourds, but it was really just a few. Butternut, acorn, spaghetti squash are relatively easy to find at the supermarket. I've seen and cooked with those before. But have you ever seen a turban squash? a swan squash? Don't worry, neither had I until a couple days ago.

A turban squash.

Some of the gourds were advertised as being "great keepers". I'm guessing that means they last a long time in storage. I wonder how long. Any gourd experts out there? I wanted to take one of each gourd home. My husband limited me to a couple. I guess that means we'll have to go back soon.