View photos of the edible plant Cucurbita digitata (Finger leaf gourd), profiled in Sonoran Desert Food Plants.
A passage from Sonoran Desert Food Plants:
The ample root, as with most Wild gourd types, can be used to make a weak soap solution. Containing large amounts of saponins the dried/fresh root is lathered in water and used for its detergent effect.
View photos of the edible plant, Cucurbita foetidissima (Buffalo gourd), profiled in the Wild Edible Series: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Sonoran Desert, Southern California, and Texas.
A passage from Southern California Food Plants:
The large root, as with most Wild gourd types, can be used as soap. Containing large amounts of saponins the dried/fresh root can be lathered in water and used for its detergent effect.
A passage from Sonoran Desert Food Plants:
Wild gourd should be picked when fully mature (yet still green or just beginning to yellow). Crack the gourd open by stepping on it and then remove the seeds.
A passage from Wild Edible Plants of Texas:
Common throughout the desert and plains, Wild gourd is mainly encountered in the Panhandle, West Texas, and around the Edwards Plateau.
A passage from Wild Edible Plants of New Mexico:
Spread the seeds out on a flat area (the adhering pulp will be removed later) and allow them to dry – a dehydrator or full sun will speed this process. Once dry, rub away any adhering dried gourd pulp.
