The Calabash tree, one of the earliest cultivated plants in the world

Attending the funeral of another young women in childbirth this week we noticed a tree in the cemetry which had large green balls hanging from it. “Has someone tied balloons to that tree?” Helen asked. However when she approached the men sitting under the tree she was told, “No this is a calabash tree.” and they cut one down for her. Afterwards I sawed it open and scraped out the inner soft pulp (a culinary delicacy in some countries). You can see how useful it would be for containing fluids of any kind.