Topic: Achocha

[Squash64]

This is a pic of my Achocha growing up and over the greenhouse.  This is only two plants!  I have to keep cutting it back every couple of days because it grows so quickly.  It's a lovely plant and is full of pods at the moment. 

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[aj]

My one plant is about half the size!

Loads of pods; but I'm leaving them all on and giving the lot to HSL later in the year.

I've had quite enough of courgettes let alone trying to use up achochas.

[Duke Ellington]

I am unfamiliar with this plant how do you eat the pods- do you cook them ?

Duke :)

[goodlife]

..your secret for success must be wickes compost... ;) ;D

[saddad]

You can eat the smallest pods whole Duke... raw in salad or as a munch on the plot. The bigger ones you need to remove the seed/spine and cook the pod wall in strips in stir fry or stuffed (whole)  :)

[Squash64]

I haven't tried any yet. 
I cut one open and it smells like cucumber and something else but I can't quite think what it is.

[Squash64]

..your secret for success must be wickes compost... ;) ;D

I don't think so, I've never used it.  :)

[Bugloss2009]

that's what I thought mine would grow like, when I grew it, but it didn't

are you sure this belongs in Edible Plants?  :)

[Squash64]

that's what I thought mine would grow like, when I grew it, but it didn't

are you sure this belongs in Edible Plants?  :)

I think there should be a 'Rampant Plants' section, it could go in there with the Bonbons.  ;)

[Duke Ellington]

Thanks saddad:)

It looks interesting.

Duke

[Jeannine]

Which variety  did you grow? XX Jeannine

[Squash64]

My Achocha is one of the few things I haven't grown from seed myself this year.  We had a visit from the Research Officer at Ryton Organic Gardens earlier in the year and he brought the plants with him.  I also had a squash from him, a type of Hubbard I think, but I can't remember the variety.

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I've emailed him about them and will report back.  :)

[earlypea]

I'm intrigued too - looks similar to mine (Caigua/slipper) but then again, not.  Fruits are the same, but the leaves are much larger and then there's the rampantness  :o

Mine's much more delicate but I think with more flowers and actually, it's one of my favourite plants this year, growing up (and out) entwined with my Meraviglia di Venezia.

Did you feed it a lot?  You must have surely.  

I don't much like it raw, but it's interesting cooked.

[shirlton]

We had one of those squashes at your spring plant sale Betty It doing well. Did have the leaflet somewhere ::)

[galina]

that's what I thought mine would grow like, when I grew it, but it didn't

are you sure this belongs in Edible Plants?  :)

Most definitely edible, rampant and palatable too.  2007 and 2008 when it was too cold for my outdoors cucumbers, my achocha rallied and we had lots.

Eaten young they are essentially very much like a cucumber, but far less watery/juicy.

Incidentally, they also pickle well.  We like cucumber pickles and lack of cucumber in 07 and 08 got me substituting achocha and the pickles turned out very nice.  Admittedly, one plant is usually quite enough for a large family!"

[galina]

I'm intrigued too - looks similar to mine (Caigua/slipper) but then again, not.  Fruits are the same, but the leaves are much larger and then there's the rampantness  :o

Mine's much more delicate but I think with more flowers and actually, it's one of my favourite plants this year, growing up (and out) entwined with my Meraviglia di Venezia.

Did you feed it a lot?  You must have surely.  

I don't much like it raw, but it's interesting cooked.

There are different achochas.  Fat Baby which produces all summer, leaves as in Betty's superb pictures. Ladies slippers, which has different foliage, lacy, divided leaves and produces pods from equinox to first frost, because it is daylight sensitive.  Ladies slippers ist he HSL variety (or at least it was when I got my seed), Fat Baby was sold by RealSeeds and others.

[earlypea]

I know Galina.  I've grown both.

Actually, fat baby the version I have doesn't produce 'all summer' it's daylight dependent, goes rampant as the day and night evens up and the leaves are much simpler than in Betty's picture (if you click on the distant view it shows the lacey leaves better) which I think are 'hemp' like.

That certainly isn't fat baby fruit, which are round and prickly.  

It's definitely caigua, the fruit at least, just the leaves are  bigger, maybe down to feed - which is what I'm wondering.

[galina]

I know Galina.  I've grown both.

It's definitely caigua, the fruit at least, just the leaves are  bigger, maybe down to feed - which is what I'm wondering.

The word 'caigua' confused me, because it is a generic name for achocha.  However a quick peek on the RealSeeds website shows that they sell a variety 'Caigua'.  But that one has prickly fruits and lacy leaves.
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/cucumbers.html
Different yet again!  Fascinating, maybe there are slipper/baby/caigua crosses out there....

[aj]

My Achocha is one of the few things I haven't grown from seed myself this year.  We had a visit from the Research Officer at Ryton Organic Gardens earlier in the year and he brought the plants with him.  I also had a squash from him, a type of Hubbard I think, but I can't remember the variety.

[attachment=1]

I've emailed him about them and will report back.  :)

That's interesting; if they came from Ryton then they came from the same batch of seeds as mine as the lady who sits opposite me donated them all last year. So SNAP!

[earlypea]

I know Galina.  I've grown both.

It's definitely caigua, the fruit at least, just the leaves are  bigger, maybe down to feed - which is what I'm wondering.

The word 'caigua' confused me, because it is a generic name for achocha.  However a quick peek on the RealSeeds website shows that they sell a variety 'Caigua'.  But that one has prickly fruits and lacy leaves.
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/cucumbers.html
Different yet again!  Fascinating, maybe there are slipper/baby/caigua crosses out there....

Actually, there again - The book 'growing unusual vegetables' has the 'caigua/slipper' version illustrated as mainly smooth with a few prickles (like realseeds), but fat baby is all prickles.  I'm guessing a few are normal on the slipper one in the latter stages of growth.  Any prickles Betty?