The first time I saw cucamelons in aseed catalog , I was potty . I found them in the “ cucumber ” subdivision and as I unremarkably try out to get at least one novel cuke sort per time of year ( like the cream - colored eyeball ofDragon ’s Eggsor the slender and striatedMetki Painted Serpents ) , I quick buy a packet and have been growing them ever since — going on 10 years now .
The freshness has n’t worn off — in fact , our family ( which extend by two nestling in that time ) has only hump them more and we calculate forward to pick them in the garden every summertime .
They ’re incredibly easy to develop , with vine that go gangbusters hold proper atmospheric condition . And you shoulddefinitelygrow these , as I ’ve seen cucamelons fetch a pretty centime at farmer ’ markets !
If you mother your hands on some source or starter plants , here ’s everything you require to know about growing cucamelons ( plus tips for relieve the tuber so you could grow them again next year ) .
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What is a cucamelon?
appear like lilliputian watermelon vine with their classifiable wickedness and light green “ rinds , ” cucamelons make up in character what they lack in size of it . The cucamelon ( Melothria scabra ) is an heirloom vegetable native to Mexico and Central America , where it ’s know assandía ratón(“mouse melon ” ) orsandita(little watermelon ) .
Here in North America , these grapeshot - sized fruits are sometimes called mouse melons , Mexican false gherkin , or Mexican sour cucumbers , but the taste is neither sour nor watermelon - y. I ’d say the flavor is more of a pleasant tartness , like cucumber vine with a twist of lemon . A cucamelon , if you will .
Where to corrupt
Cucamelon seeds
Cucamelons have been around since pre - Columbian times , but were not brought into botanical categorization until the mid-1800s .
Despite being a phallus of the Cucurbitaceae family ( and often collocate together with other cucumbers in source catalogue ) , cucamelons are part of an entirely different genus of plants and are only distantly relate to cucumbers , so they will not scotch with other cuke kind .
They ’re also more cold - tolerant than cukes , and will stay to fruit until the first hoar .
Cucamelons grow on thin , straggle vine that are more delicate than those of typical Cucumis sativus , but do n’t be fritter away — these arebigplants ! The vines can reach up to 10 foot if plant in the ground ( or around 5 substructure in a prominent pot ) , with lots of piffling tendrils that love to climb a trellis ( and you ’ll definitely want to train them , as the vine get tangled up pretty easy ) .
Each flora has both virile and female bloom ; the latter is pollinate by wind or worm . The works is so prolific that it can develop close to a hundred fruit in a single season , peek out from between common ivy - shaped parting .
give up a cucamelon and you ’ll find sick unripe flesh with soft white seeds that are edible . The whole thing is crisp and juicy and whole snackable on the go !
It’s possible to overwinter a cucamelon plant
Before I get into growing cucamelons at base , you should first understandhowthey grow .
Most people grow cucamelons as an annual , but in fact , Melothria scabra is a tender perennial . It thrive in warm weather and will raise during nerveless springiness days , but temperature below 60 ° F will importantly slow down increment .
Over the course of a time of year , the plant grow heavy blanched tubers underground that grow 4 to 6 inches long . Each plant can buckle under several good - sized tubers .
As winter approaches , the parting may give-up the ghost back but the plant will come forth anew in outpouring from these tubers . In USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11 , you do n’t need to do anything but trim any tired - reckon foliation .
In zona 7 to 9 where cucamelons are more susceptible to stale weather condition , you could winter a cucamelon plant by cut back the stagnant leaf and add a deepmulch layerof at least 12 inches to protect the tubers underground ( shredded leaves or stalk work well ) .
In zones where the soil freezes ( like where I live in Central Oregon , zone 6b ) , you could grasp up the tuber and store them the same way you ’d store Dahlia pinnata tubers . ( Keep record to con how to spring up cucamelons from genus Tuber you ’ve saved . )
Growing cucamelons from seed
Cucamelons grow easily from semen , and the method acting is not unlike growing cucumber . They like full sun to fond wraith , and command rich , well - draining soil amended with compost .
If you ’re in zones 3 to 6,you’ll want to depart seeds indoors about six weeks before your last spring rime . The seeds are tiny , so only sow them about 1/4 column inch thick and keep the soil consistently moist so the semen do n’t dry out . They willgerminatein 7 to 14 years .
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Like other members of the cucurbit syndicate , cucamelons do n’t always respond well to transplanting . If you have the space , I recommend sowing seeds in 4 - in pots and thinning to the strongest seedling per pot , which facilitate them develop good root systems and minimizes transplant daze .
You might even desire to stick in a chopstick — like the disposable ones you get with takeout food — so the seedling have something to go up . This keep them from getting tangled together in your seed embark on trays .
Once all risk of frost has pass , inure off the untested plantsand move them into the garden , giving them 12 inches of spacing .
It ’s tempting to institute them nigher when they ’re diminished , but you ’ll only set them back . These are declamatory plant with thick root systems ! A 12 - inch spatial arrangement give the Tuber room to grow ( and maintain the vines from getting too dense and knot up ) .
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In zone 7 and up , you’re able to sow seeds directly in the garden in leaping around the same time you sow cucumber seeds . Sow seeds every 4 to 6 inches and thin the plants to a final spacing of 12 inches .
A few week after cucamelons sprout , they ’ll call on into vigorous vine that need a treillage or fencing to climb . I like to use twine , netting , or oxen panels and discipline the vine up and over as they grow — I’ve had give chase vines as long as 8 to 10 feet !
Digging up and storing cucamelon tubers
Cucamelons are high temperature - eff , frost - sensitive plant and wo n’t pull through temperatures below 50 ° F for very long . After the leaves have died back , cut them down — you decidedly do n’t want to yank out the tubers by pull on the vines , as this usually results in damaged tubers that are n’t potential to winter .
labour a garden fork or shovel about a foot off from the main stem of the plant and rescind the soil to expose any Tuber . If you do n’t see tubers , drudge a little deeper or use your hands to root around for them .
Once you ’ve collect all the tuber , put in them in a large container occupy with moist ( but not wet ) pot soil in a cool , sheltered dapple that wo n’t freeze , like a service department , an unheated basement , or a moderately heated up greenhouse that stay between 40 ° fluorine and 50 ° F .
This is how I ’ve store cucamelon tubers successfully over winter :
Growing cucamelons from tubers
Did you make unnecessary cucamelon tubers from your last harvest ? Way to go — raise cucamelons from Tuber gives you a head lead off on the season and solvent in an earlier and large harvest .
About eight weeks before your last expected spring frost , deplume the genus Tuber out of storage and separate them .
set each genus Tuber in a 2 - gallon pot filled with potting soil ( the tuber should be about 1 inch below the surface ) . Move all of your pot to a sunny windowpane or under grow Inner Light , piddle well , and keep the territory moist as the plants set off growing again .
Once all risk of frost has pass , harden off the plantsand transfer them in the garden .
How to harvest and eat cucamelons
Cucamelon plant life begin to bloom about 60 days after plant , and it occupy another 7 to 10 day after pollination for the fruits to become large enough to harvest .
Growing from teeny tiny flower , they never get more than an inch or so long and tend to drop from the vines as soon as they ’re ripe ( but it ’s easy to pick them before they drop so you ’re not hunt down for slews of cucamelons on the earth ) .
In my opinion , cucamelons are best eaten bleak and eaten whole . They make the utter palm - sized snack while you ’re influence in the garden , but if any of them actually make it back into your kitchen , they ’re delectable in salads , crudité platter , or charcuterie boards as a palate cleanser ( and are a great conversation starter if you ’re serving guests ) .
Because the flavor and texture reminds me of cucumbers , I think cucamelons are a raw choice for pickling — which makes sense when you suppose about its other moniker , Mexican saturnine gherkin . ( A gherkin is a cucumber that ’s been pickle . )
you could see Mexican sour gherkin used here in my recipe forBread and Butter Pickles , but their crunch holds up well in other quick - pickle brines too . ( Try the brines in my other recipes forPickled Radish Seed Pods , Fiesta Peppers , andSriracha Stem Pickles . )
Cucamelons also work well in cocktails , in particular gin cocktailslike this one , garden - inspired tequila cocktailslike this one with shiso herb , or refreshing botanical margaritaslike this one .
you may also ready cucamelons , but heating plant tends to mellow out out their typical tartness and make them taste more like courgette .
If you need to try out them in a ado - small fry , throw away the cucamelons in toward the end and cook for just a couple of proceedings . They add just the right amount of crispness to a noggin or rice bowl !
Saving cucamelon seeds
If dig and storing the tuber is too much effort , you cansave seedsfrom ripe cucamelon fruit to propagate next year ’s plants .
Cucamelon seeds are encased in a gelatin - like pulp magazine . To save them , cut the cucamelon in half and remove the seeds . attempt to separate the seeds from as much of the pulp as potential .
Place the cucamelon seed in a glass of water and leave them for two to three days . During this clip , you should see a turbid white film develop on the open ; this pic is just harmless kahm yeast , which bespeak lacto - zymosis in legal action .
Once the motion-picture show has covered the intact surface , strain and rinse the seed in a fine - mesh strainer . lie the source out to dry on a shell or towel , then store in a labeled and see envelope in a cool , wry place .
Similar tofermenting tomato seeds , fermenting cucamelon seeded player help themgerminate quickerby removing the sprouting - inhibiting substance on the seed coat . It ’s a simple superfluous step when saving seeds , but worth it if you need to increase your chances of quick sprouting in fountain .
Melothria in the wild
The cucamelon is similar in size and appearance to another vining perennial works , Melothria pendula ( also know as creeping Cucumis sativus or Guadeloupe cucumber ) .
This wild metal money is find from Pennsylvania to Florida and W to Texas and Nebraska , as well as its native Mexico and Central America , where it grows along the edge of Marsh , sandy roadside , forests , ditch , and ravines .
But is Melothria pendula comestible ? Thissource(and several online wildflower databases ) claims it is , as long as you wipe out only the light green fruits ( which share the same somewhat tart feel of Melothria scabra ) .
Unlike Melothria scabra , however , the fruits on the waste Melothria pendula gradually darken as they mature , blend in from dark green to purple to inkiness ( at which point it ’s say the fruits are rather foul - tasting ) .
If you detect Melothria pendula growing wild in your yard , it ’s definitely worth trying a few unaccented unripe fruit from this comestible weed !
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This post updated from an article that originally appeared on September 22 , 2012 .
