For years I have been seeing two kinds of Carosello Barese being sold by companies and grown by Italian gardeners. This has lead me to feel a great deal of confusion as to what the term "Carosello Barese" actually means. Though the Carosello Barese is one of the most well-known carosello cucumber varieties, some Italian friends and I have questioned whether the popular “Carosello Barese” is even a carosello variety at all. The reason we are questioning the validity of this popular Italian cucumber is that the Carosello Barese completely overlaps two other carosello varieties - the Carosello Bianco Leccese (Light Leccese) and the Carosello Mezzo Lungo Barese. While I had previously grown the Carosello Barese that looks like the Carosello Leccese Bianco, I had never grown the ridged variety that looks like the Mezzo Lungo Barese.
To be able to conduct a proper study of these cucumber varieties, I needed to find a seed seller who had them both - to conduct a grow-out for myself. After many years of searching, I was able to acquire seeds of both varieties from a single seed supplier. I planted them in a raised bed garden and grew them both out mid-summer and covered them with netting when the other raised bed began flowering. As soon as the fruit began to set I noticed that the one variety looked just like the light Leccese. The Carosello Bianco Leccese is nearly hairless, juicy and very tender. The scalloped Carosello Barese variety was very productive yet extremely variable. While they were all fuzzy and scalloped, some were long and others were short. Some of the vines were bushy with clusters of fruit setting in the crown of the plant and others produce fruit further along the sprawling vines.
For comparison, the Mezzo Lungo Barese is a fuzzy scalloped cylindrical cucumber-melon variety. It is generally much more dense and slightly drier than most other carosello varieties. The scalloped fuzzy Carosello Barese that I grew had much higher water content than the Mezzo Lungo Barese. There seemed to be quite a bit lacking in the flavor of the scalloped Carosello Barese.
Since I already had plenty of the smooth, nearly hairless Carosello Barese, I did not save seed of that variety. I did, however, save seed of the scalloped Carosello Barese. Sometimes discovering something new is exciting and enjoyable. Other times it is dull and lucklaster. While my experience growing out two of the Carosello Barese was more the latter, I’m grateful to have learned something new so I no longer have to wonder if I should try growing the Carosello Barese again.
So what now? Where do I go with the Carosello Barese? I will likely sell seed that I have of the Carosello Barese and eventually only sell the Carosello Barese in the form of the Carosello Leccese Bianco. Perhaps if I ever find a good tasting light-colored Scopattizo Barese, I will market it as a scalloped Carosello Barese.
