Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
I felt like a family member of a prisoner on death row, so when I found them still alive, I was relieved!
These are a baby and young sponge gourds. I was so excited to see them because I found not one or two but three gourds and relieved because I was able to see again the gourd (4th, 5th and 6th photos), which I didn't expect to be alive due to
the garden's policy "Pick fruit before growing." But why have these gourds survived under that policy? The likely answer is that the garden owner thinks people in Tokyo don't know sponge gourds are edible, so isn't worried that the gourds will be stolen! (For the details of the garden's policy, read
this post!)
Unlike bitter gourds, one of the most popular summer vegetables in Japan, sponge gourds are not eaten that much in mainland Japan and are known rather as a material of toner or scrubbing brushes. If this guess is correct, I may be able to see them growing big😄😊!!! I'm so happy now with a bit of worry that the guess may be wrong.
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| 9/10 A baby fruit of Luffa aegyptiaca 糸瓜の赤ちゃん |
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| 9/12 |
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| 9/10 A baby sponge gourd ヘチマの赤ちゃん |
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| 9/10 With a beautiful sponge gourd flower ヘチマの花とともに |
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