Garden: Cucamelon

Every year I try to grow something new in the vegetable garden - something we've never eaten and never grown before. Last year the honour went to Crosnes de Japon which as I feared, we will be stuck with for ever more. See here about growing and eating them.

This year I've been seduced by cucamelons - just chuck the word into any internet search engine you'll fine a huge amount of enthusiasm about these funny little fruits. The plants climb like cucumbers, the fruit look like tiny little  watermelons and the taste is described as a little like a cucumber but with the sourness of a lime.

In terms of growing, they are certainly easy going plants. They need heat to germinate so were sown inside our living room along with tomatoes, aubergine and the chili tribe. Our heating comes from a little wood burner or sunlight through the south facing windows, neither of which are terribly effective overnight! So a consistent temperature, they did not get. Once the last frost was (hopefully) done, they were planted outside around a cane tripod and told to get on with it. One proved too tempting for a slug but the other four romped away up the poles.

Initially there was just growth, and a lot of it, but then tiny little yellow flowers just like those on cucumbers appeared, and finally I spotted some fruit dangling.

And yes, they really do look like little tiny watermelons, pale green with a darker green stripe. Very elegant. Of course I couldn't resist crunching one straight off the vine. Definitely crunchy. Crunchy in a hard and skin stuck in my teeth kind of way. Undoubtedly cucumberish, but I just didn't get the sour lime hit. Maybe it was too small?

Well, we have a lot more to play with now. I'm thinking halving and dunking in some olive oil, salt, sugar, chili and garlic - our neighbour is a chef and he's coming over for aperos. That might impress him a little! I'll keep you posted.