The Carosello Bianco Leccese



Carosello Bianco Leccese Starting out.

After experiencing so much luck with Armenian cucumbers but wanting something tastier I asked around my gardening club (TOG) and found out that there was another kind of Armenian cucumber. From that point on I have been finding out as much as I can about melon cucumbers. Apparently the C. melo species that we think of as muskmelon and honeydew here in North America is often grown for cucumbers in other parts of the world including Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. These melons have some great attributes such as often being burpless, free of bitterness, thin edible skin, fruit very quickly and taking heat better than many regular cucumber varieties.  However, they often have problems of their own, such as powdery mildew and little tolerance for the cold. One variant of these cucumbers is called the Carosello. This cucumber-melon takes many forms in a region of Italy known as Puglia.


Growing Bigger!

All C. melo cucumbers, including the Carosello, can cross with other C. melo species so require being grown in isolation if you desire to save pure seed. The cucumbers can either be grown on the ground or staked. When staking the vines you will need to let the main stem grow out to about 71 inches before pruning (this stem often produces the female fruit). The side vines containing the male flowers can be pruned back the side after the second node of leaves.



Beginning to see Fruit!

There are many different varieties of these cucumbers and some of them go by multiple names based on what the locals know them as. These pictures sent to me are from a gardening friend in Italy. These are the Carosello Bianco Leccese. From what I understand Bianco means white (though the skin is light green) and Leccese means it comes from the district of Lecce in the Southeast of Puglia. Other varieties such as the Barese come from Bari while the Manduria and the Massafra come from the Taranto district of Puglia.

Harvesting the first Bianco Leccese

The inside looks good (=

Many of these cucumbers do have some form of fuzz at the beginning stage of growing and a few keep growing fuzz as they mature. I like to call this the “fuzz factor”. My friend who sent me these pictures said that the fuzz factor on the Bianco Leccese is minimal and can be easily removed before eating. I personally don’t mind fuzz on my cucumber and think it is a neat characteristic. The fur on even the more fuzzy varieties is simply brushed off by hand.

Growing...

...and growing even more.

The fruit of the Bianco Leccese is very delicious when they reach the weight of 150-170 grams or 5-6 ounces though they remain good until about 200 grams or 7 ounces. When picked in their prime, the seeds are small and edible.



Ahh... the beauty of the Carosello.



The Bianco Leccese.

You can learn more about these cucumbers at an Italian Wikipedia site: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carosello_(gastronomia) or translated into English. I hope you have enjoyed some of these pictures of the Carosello Bianco Leccese. I am very grateful for my friend Giuseppe who provided much of the information and pictures for this post.

Update: With the help of my Italian friends I have recently been able to purchase a large amount of Carosello Bianco Leccese seeds. You can purchase them in sample seed packets at Cucumbershop.com.




Il Carosello Bianco Leccese e magnifico!

2014 Carosello Bianco Leccese

As part of my little cucumber business I make sure to test seed germination (to make sure it is above 80%) before selling any seed. Instead of composting this pre-sprouted seed out, I planted the Carosello Bianco Leccese or Light Leccese in some pots and let them grow some fruit.

Some Carosello Leccese Light next to a home-grown tomato

One characteristic of the Carosello I have been working to identify is how long down the vine each variety tends to set fruit. The Carosello Bianco Leccese sets fruit very close to the center of the fruit, making it a very early producing Carosello variety.

A Compact growth habit makes this one of the earlier and faster-growing Carosello.



Carosello Leccese Bianco female Flower



Carosello Leccese Bianco - The female flower is setting fruit.



The fruit grows,




and grows,



and grows until the Carosello Leccese Bianco is ready to be consumed. (=



 A few years ago, one of my children tested positive for an allergy to cucumbers. He was very sad about this, as he loves cucumbers and pickles. Fortunately, he tested negative for an allergy to melons, which means he can eat any of my Carosello, Armenian or other cucumber-melons. When my garden produces some Carosello for him to eat, our whole family enjoys eating cucumbers together.



Slices of Carosello Bianco Leccese



Carosello and other cucumber-melons can be consumed by those who are
allergic to cucumbers - as long as they are not allergic to melons! (=



No cucumbers for this caterpillar - this bug will soon meet my bearded dragon!

 

Growing cucumbers next to the ground results in variable shapes

 

Is this the Carosello Bianco Leccese - or a pear?

In the Southwest, Carosello can be planting well into the fall. I will most likely be planting new varieties into July and September.

A Carosello Barese Trial

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.