Shark Fin Melon Seeds (Fig Leaf Gourd / Shark Fin Gourd) – Cucurbita ficifolia
Open-pollinated • Farm-grown at Vast Harvest Permaculture
Pack size: 10 seeds
 
✅ Vigorous climber (perennial in frost-free climates; grown as an annual in cooler areas)
✅ Large, melon-sized striped fruit
✅ Edible seeds (roast like pepitas)
✅ Neutral flavour, takes on whatever you cook it with
✅ Resistant to powdery mildew (relative to many other cucurbits)
 
Why it’s a permaculture powerhouse
Vertical food production: grow up, not out, ideal for tight gardens or using “unused” fence lines.
Big biomass: vigorous growth = lots of organic matter for chop-and-drop at season’s end.
Long-keeping harvest: a great “pantry squash” style crop for self-sufficiency (harvest mature fruit and store in a cool, dry place).
 
What the plant and fruit are like
A prolific vine with green leaves shaped a little like a fig leaf. Each vine can produce multiple fruit the size of a small watermelon, with green-and-white striped skin. Flesh is pale/creamy white with black seeds.
 
How to use it in the kitchen 
Shark fin melon has a mild, neutral flavour, which makes it incredibly useful, it absorbs flavours beautifully and works across savoury and sweet dishes.
 
Great ways to use the flesh:
Soups and broths (a classic use)
Stews, curries and stir-fries
As a zucchini substitute in savoury cooking
Smoothies and desserts (mild flavour makes it easy to add to sweet recipes)
 
 
It’s commonly used as a substitute for shark’s fin in “shark fin” style soups.
Spaghetti squash-style use
Shark fin gourd can also be used similarly to spaghetti squash. When you cook a fully mature fruit (hard rind), the flesh can pull into long, stringy strands. It’s brilliant as a “vegetable noodle” in soups, curries, stir-fries, and pasta-style dishes with plenty of sauce.
Tip: cook until just tender, then fork into strands. If it’s a little watery, let it drain for a few minutes before adding sauce.
Edible seeds: scoop, wash, dry and roast, eat like pepitas.
 
Storage: Mature fruit stores well when kept in a cool, dry place.
 
Growing guide (quick + practical)
When to plant: Warm season. Sow once frost risk has passed and soil has warmed.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Compost-rich, well-drained soil
Water: Consistent moisture (especially while establishing)
Support: Give it something strong to climb (trellis, fence, cattle panel, pergola). This vine is vigorous.
 
Sowing:
Sow 1.5–2 cm deep
Sow 2–3 seeds per spot, then thin to the strongest seedling
Space: about 1 m between plants (more if you’re letting it sprawl)
 
Harvest: Pick when fully mature and the rind is hard.
 
Also known as:
Fig Leaf Gourd, Zambo, Chilacayote, Black-seed squash, Alcoyota (and sometimes listed under other local names).