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Lifestyle Desk: Bottle gourd is a vegetable which is considered very beneficial for health, but not everyone likes it very much. But in summer, eating water-rich vegetables like bottle gourd is very good for health. Nowadays, there is a worry of getting bottle gourd that is “injected” or grown with more chemicals in the market. Therefore, it is important to take some care while purchasing. Today we will tell you some easy ways by which you can identify whether bottle gourd is natural or hybrid/injected.

Colour

The best way to know how ripe any vegetable or fruit is is to identify it by its color. The color of a good bottle gourd is light green and natural and if the bottle gourd looks too shiny or dark green, then there may be suspicion.

size

The shape of natural gourd may be slightly uneven. If the gourd looks very straight, uniform and perfect, then it may be a hybrid.

peel

The peel of real bottle gourd is a little rough. Be careful if it feels too smooth and plasticky.

press and see

If you press the gourd lightly with your finger, it will feel a little soft. If it feels very hard or rubbery, it may be an injection.

Weight

Fresh and good bottle gourd will appear light as per its size. If the gourd seems very heavy, then more water or chemicals may be used in it.

upon cutting

It is okay if the bottle gourd looks white and fresh from inside. If the inside is yellow, bitter or the seeds are very large, then do not eat it.

taste is most important

If bottle gourd tastes bitter, stop eating it immediately. Bitter gourd can even cause food poisoning.