Earlier I posted a piece about loche, but had no photo and only incomplete information. Above is a picture of a loche I purchased in Mercado Modelo in Chiclayo for 3 soles. It is 8 inches high. I also found an organization that is dedicated to research on and the promotion of the loche. However, this was not my finding, but the work of a woman whose blog is dedicated to food. After writing to her, she did some searching and found this organization at http://www.lamolina.edu.peMy father-in-law, who has some farm land about 15 minutes (by car) from our house, asked local farmers about growing the loche. Most agreed that it had to be grown from cuttings, but one mentioned that the seed of the larger loche zapallo could be planted; a cutting taken from its vine could be planted, and the smaller loche would grow. We are going to try this.
If I were 25 to 30 years younger I would seriously consider growing loche for export. The flavor is superior to most types of pumpkin or squash. For now, we are experimenting with inventing recipes using the loche: a truly Peruvian vegetable.
2 comments:
I find this very interesting. Loche is very good. My wife is from Peru and would love to find of the plant. Do you live in the United States? I would love to find a loche plant to obtain a cutting.
Hi Michael and wife,
Yes, loche is incredibly delicious. I live in northern Peru and have tried many, many times to grow loche with seeds and cuttings. I have never been successful. I have been very successful with growing loche seeds to obtain beautiful and even richer tasting pumpkins. Now I save all my seeds from these pumpkins. These pumpkins look like loche that got fat (rather like small Halloween pumpkins, but green with bumps). I will try to post a picture of our pumpkins.
I have come to think that the manner of growing the cuttings is a closely guarded secret. I was told that if I used the cuttings from the pumpkins I grow, that loche would be produced. No success with those cuttings, though.
If you discover a method for growing loche, please let me know. Meanwhile, I will try to contact you be email. Jan
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