Topic: Achocha

[galina]

(if you click on the distant view it shows the lacey leaves better) which I think are 'hemp' like.

Earlypea, you are right right with the distant view photo.  They are the lacy 'hemp'  leaves!  Hmm.  A non daylight sensitive ladies slipper?  The mind boggles.

Betty, they are certainly rampant.  What's your secret?

[earlypea]

....but Galina - I don't know what makes you think Caigua/slipper is daylight sensitive?  Is that your experience?

My first sowings of 'slipper' were fruiting by June in the conservatory accidentally.  Realseeds and my book say it isn't.

Fat Baby is, or the one I grew, for sure - sown in spring, grew very little til late August and went completely wild through late September and October, a sight for sore eyes  :o

[galina]

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?

Earlypea you are right and I should have looked at Squash64's picture more closely  ;)   Have just checked with my photos from 2008 and fat baby has loads more soft 'hook like' prickles, rather different from the more or less straight slippers/caigua prickles. 

None are actually prickly, just in case somebody gets warned off by this description, just can't think of a better word.

[galina]

....but Galina - I don't know what makes you think Caigua/slipper is daylight sensitive?  Is that your experience?

Absolutely, with a vengeance.  Come 15th September, the first flowers appear.  I am trying to remember when I first got the seeds - 12 years ago?.  I was pleasantly surprised when I swapped for fat baby in 2006 and they produced much earlier.

I also swapped an achocha type from a HSL member, which looks like ladies slipper, but produces earlier.  His instructions advised to sow them very early (January) and grow them in the greenhouse.  I thought they were producing early because they were sown well before the spring equinox.  I must grow his and the HSL type and compare them  not sown so early.

[artichoke]

The real seeds link is very interesting, and I was amused to see they are selling seeds of the "exploding cucumber". This grows wild in Greece (and no doubt elsewhere) and I have sometimes startled people who don't know what it does when touched..... I had no idea you could eat it, or even grow it in this country.

[earlypea]

Absolutely, with a vengeance.  Come 15th September, the first flowers appear.  I am trying to remember when I first got the seeds - 12 years ago?.  I was pleasantly surprised when I swapped for fat baby in 2006 and they produced much earlier.

Bizarre, yet again!  That's in total reverse to my fat baby v. slipper experience.  I must dig out my slipper seed packet, can't remember where it's from, not realseeds.

I guess there are a lot of strains, but we're only using two names.

[galina]

can't remember where it's from, not realseeds.

I guess there are a lot of strains, but we're only using two names.

Chiltern seeds sell or certainly used to sell achocha ladies slippers.  My slippers were from HSL, my fat babies from a swap originating from realseeds.

I wonder, whether interbreeding has happened between the strains.  Or like you say, whether there are many more unnamed strains 'about'.

[lottie lou]

How d'you prounounce it - achocha or ach choo choo?

[Squash64]

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

No earlypea, I never feed it!  I even stopped watering it during the dry spell because I thought that might slow down its growth......it didn't.
It's growing in a narrow bed filled with compost from last year's growbags.  That side of the greenhouse faces north-east

[Squash64]

Earlypea, you are right right with the distant view photo.  They are the lacy 'hemp'  leaves!  Hmm.  A non daylight sensitive ladies slipper?  The mind boggles.

Betty, they are certainly rampant.  What's your secret?

Someone asked me if it was a climbing cannabis!

I can't claim any part in their rampant growth - I do nothing at all to them, not even water or feed them.  All I do is cut them back before they grab me as I walk past.
I tried a small pod today and it was just like cucumber.

[Squash64]

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?

No, they are totally prickle-free.

[galina]

How d'you prounounce it - achocha or ach choo choo?

a-choke-a, is what I have heard most often.  The proper pronunciation?  Who knows.

By the way, there are also a number of different spellings and the latin name 'cyclanthera pedata' may  not be scientifically correct either, according to Ben from realseeds.  From memory, he said cyclanthera pedata only applies to the 'hemp-leafed'  type achocha and fat baby is actually closer related to the exploding cucumber - a non-exploding exploding cuke  :)

I wonder whether other European countries have 'discovered' achocha, or are they a bit of a hit in the UK and unknown elsewhere outside South America?

[realfood]

My Ladies Slippers. (Cyclanthera pedata), certainly had prickles on the fruits as can be seen from the photo on this page http://www.growyourown.info/page158.html

[cjb02]

I grow fat baby achocha, they have soft spikes on them. My achocha this year has not grown as quickly I last but never mind. I have hope for next year.

this is my wiki on growing achocha. http://plantsalive.webs.com/apps/wiki/growing-achocha-fat-baby

[froglets]

My Fat baby plants are self seeders from last year.  Given the winter conditions we had, I was stunned that they'd survived.  Now I'm overwhelmed by them.  Anyone got a machete?

[Squash64]

I cooked some of them today for my husband and he really liked them.  I sliced them after removing the seeds and white membrane and fried them with one tiny (but hot) chilli in olive oil.