Mayo Giant Pumpkin (Lagenaria siceraria)

Maya Giant Pumpkin (Lagenaria Siceraria): this lagenaria, cultivated by the Mayan people in Mexico, was sent to us by an association of

indigenous peoples (or better yet, Native American Indians), it was given as a natural way to protect the

cultivation from rodents and insects, since the leaves have an unpleasant smell for them. It works as a natural deterrent, but when the crops began to occupy larger areas we had to resort to other means, so it remained on the sidelines for a few seasons. Until we started doing more research on edible lagenarias (such as the Sicilian, the Serpent, and and the Giant) and took it back into consideration: we realised beyond any doubt that it is present

one of Caravaggio's paintings "Still Life with Fruit" dated

to the beginning of the '600, along with other species that had recently arrived from the

new world ("Zucca Tonda Padana" is also clearly visible), all edible. Ergo it was most likely not the first time it has made such journey across the ocean. Not classified as an artifact as it is too large to be used as a liquid container. For the next season (spring '23) we are planning to try it on the kitchen.
Regarding cultivation, it is, like most cultivars of the species, very rustic, almost as a spontaneous variety, it is also abundantly vigorous: a single plant comes to cover 20 square meters in optimal conditions. You can grow it together with pumpkins of the cucurbita species to help protect them from insects and rodents, placing these in the center, and trimming the Mayo Giant so as not to enter into competition with the others.