Growing the Mexican Sour Gherkin this year was a relatively new concept for me. I had never grown Melothria scabra and I figured that it may do good in rotation with the other plants that I grew out in my garden. I had one friend tell me that he couldn’t get enough of them while some of the reviews that I previously read described the outer skin as a tough rind and the inner skin as having texture akin to snot. Given the fact that everyone was purchasing these seeds from me, I decided that it was worth it to at least give the plants a try.
The
plants mature slowly though will grow rapidly later in the season and
will often produce tuberous roots that can be used to grow out plants in
subsequent years.
The
Melothria scabra, which originates in Mexico, has many names, including
Sandita or Sandia de Raton, Mouse Melon, Mexican Sour Gherkin or
Cucamelon. Many companies will sell Melothria scabra by one of these
names, but for the most part they are all Melothria scabra.
The
vines produce little female flowers first (without a pollinator) while
the male flowers appear later, often in small clusters.
It
took several weeks of both male and female flowers for bees to finally
notice my plants and begin pollinating them. Though I did attempt to
hand-pollinate them previous to the work of bees, I was only minimally
successful. The few fruits that I hand-pollinated were not nearly as big
or as perfectly oval as the ones that had been visited by bees.
My
first taste of cucamelon made me think of something crunchy, yet juicy,
with a somewhat tolerable inner texture, a taste of melon rind and a
slight hint of acidity akin to a lemon. While the leaves and fruit are
cute, those factors may not be enough to redeem it. I can only imagine
that there are plenty of individuals who, only being familiar with the
taste and texture of regular cucumbers – feel that this kind of cucumber
wonderful. However, having grown multiple Carosello varieties that
exceed these grape-sized crunchy fruits in every way, I was left feeling
a little like “Meh”.
While
my initial views of the cucamelon were not exactly positive, I would
have to say that my opinion of the plants improved over time. Though the
cucamelon does not exactly attract the praise of those who would prefer
a fine textured delicious vegetable, the vines have staying power. Long
after other cucurbits have succumbed to disease and cold weather, the
cucamelons prevail. Only a real freeze will kill the plant back to the
main stems. Until then, the plant will continue to grow out further and
further into every possible nook and cranny that possesses any form of
usable light.
The cucamelon's ability to produce tuberous roots would make it an excellent,
though slightly invasive, perennial in more moderate climates. Yes – the
cucamelon has many unique qualities that set it apart from other
cucumbers and make it a very useful alternative to those who would
otherwise not enjoy cucumbers.
So
here is my opinion of the cucamelon, from 0-10, 0 being worst and 10
being the best. Taste: 4 (better than Diva – which to me tastes like
grass), Texture: 3 (tolerable) Staying power: 9+, Other interesting attributes: 7
So
there you have it – a very cute interesting cucumber alternative that
requires very little maintenance and could provide you and your family
with years of production from a single seed.
