Author Topic: Cucamelons  (Read 5532 times)

Marlborough

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Cucamelons
« on: August 15, 2015, 23:37:45 »
Did anyone grow Cucamelons? Looks like I'm going to get a bumper crop, how do you know when they are ready to harvest? I've tasted a couple and the where a bit bland. Is it possible to save the tubers till next year? Thanks :wave:
Paul

Duke Ellington

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2015, 07:11:48 »
I grew them last year and i wouldn't grow them again and they are bland. Mine didn't get any bigger than small grapes and I picked them at this stage. If you leave them longer they change colour slightly. I found the skin quite tough (too small to peel) even on those I left later before picking. I cut them into salads but didn't quite like them. My favourite way to use them was to make a cucamelon and tomato salsa.
I reckon that they would look really trendy in a Pimms. It was interesting to try them but I decided to ditch them and use the space for something else.

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dont be fooled by the name I am a Lady!! :-*

galina

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2015, 07:26:53 »
Did anyone grow Cucamelons? Looks like I'm going to get a bumper crop, how do you know when they are ready to harvest? I've tasted a couple and the where a bit bland. Is it possible to save the tubers till next year? Thanks :wave:

It depends what you mean by bland.  They are 'cucumberish' which presumably is never an 'exciting' flavour, but on top of that they have a little acidic bite, which I like.  Eat them as soon as they are full size, which is not very big.  In salads I just cut them length ways, as a snack, they go on a little dish for people to help themselves to whole fruit.

Yes, I read recently that you can overwinter the roots, frostfree, but cool, and they will resprout in spring.  Will try this when I grow them next.  Looking forward to hearing of people who do overwinter them. 

http://www.underwoodgardens.com/slide-gardening-tips-and-tricks/overwintering-cucamelons/

 :wave:

Marlborough

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2015, 16:40:58 »
They don't even taste refreshing like cucumber. Just very bland,I don't know if I have picked them a bit early. Has anyone any ideas? :wave:
Paul

saddad

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2015, 22:16:11 »
I've got one in a large unheated greenhouse, it was a gift plant. I'm wondering if it will over-winter...  :wave:

galina

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2015, 22:36:04 »
I've got one in a large unheated greenhouse, it was a gift plant. I'm wondering if it will over-winter...  :wave:

Mine haven't.   :wave:

squeezyjohn

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2015, 23:10:45 »
I agree - they are not worth growing as they are tiny, less productive than delicious home grown cucumbers and taste bland ... yet more of the James Wong propaganda machine for his own brand of expensive seeds with a new name ... I first grew them as "melothrie" from the real seeds catalogue as a novelty crop and I won't be bothering again.

Marlborough

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2015, 20:04:58 »
I'm with you there .  If you see me with another packet of James Wongs seeds, please dispatch me humanly and throw me on a compost heap!
Paul

Silverleaf

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2015, 20:50:31 »
I agree. I was happy to try them as an experiment, but I won't bother again.

galina

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2015, 11:40:28 »
I'm with you there .  If you see me with another packet of James Wongs seeds, please dispatch me humanly and throw me on a compost heap!


Will do, promise! however don't forget that other seed companies are selling them and have sold them for a long time before JW renamed them as cucamelons.  I was able to buy my first Melothria Scabra seeds years before any of the hype.  I feel that many are put off by the over-promise more than by the actual veg.  If it is described properly, as reputable seed sellers have done, there isn't the let-down that many are feeling now.

In defense of Melothria or if you prefer 'Mouse Melon', the plants are still going well after mildew has dispatched cucumbers.  Together with Achocha, I like them for that reason and another is that the pickle doesn't taste half bad.   :wave:

squeezyjohn

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2015, 12:01:33 »
Oh don't get me wrong ... I absolutely love all sorts of weird new things to grow and will continue to seek them out and give them a try.  You're right - it's the hype and mis-information from James Wong that gets right up my nose - even going so far to use his high public profile to tell people not to bother planting potatoes and buy the really expensive things he's selling ... it's like watching a one-man advert!

I have tried melothrie, oca, yacon, japanese wineberry and achocha - I can safely say that cucumbers, potatoes, parsnips and raspberries are all massively more productive and taste nicer than the unusual edibles.  The exception is the achocha which is massively productive but makes a vegetable so bland and green tasting that it's hardly worth getting the seeds out to cook with when there are runner beans available at the same time.

squeezyjohn

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2015, 12:06:43 »
Don't get me started on James Wong's  'electric daisies' - I had a sneaky nibble on one of the flowers in the sale section of my local garden centre and I literally thought I was going to be sick. 

Described as "a mix of fizzy sherbet and a 9 volt battery" - the actual sensation is one of immediate pain followed by my whole mouth going numb for 15 minutes while causing me to salivate copious amounts with an intensely salty metallic taste in my mouth.  It was absolutely disgusting.

Silverleaf

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2015, 20:26:03 »
I'm with you there .  If you see me with another packet of James Wongs seeds, please dispatch me humanly and throw me on a compost heap!


Will do, promise! however don't forget that other seed companies are selling them and have sold them for a long time before JW renamed them as cucamelons.  I was able to buy my first Melothria Scabra seeds years before any of the hype.  I feel that many are put off by the over-promise more than by the actual veg.  If it is described properly, as reputable seed sellers have done, there isn't the let-down that many are feeling now.

In defense of Melothria or if you prefer 'Mouse Melon', the plants are still going well after mildew has dispatched cucumbers.  Together with Achocha, I like them for that reason and another is that the pickle doesn't taste half bad.   :wave:

I think that for me it wasn't worth wasting two previous buckets worth of greenhouse space for a handful of fruits which aren't anything special taste-wise. I'd have had pounds of tomatoes from that space already, or loads of cucumbers. Perhaps mouse melons would work better grown several plants to a pot?

pumkinlover

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #13 on: August 24, 2015, 08:10:56 »
I'm with you there .  If you see me with another packet of James Wongs seeds, please dispatch me humanly and throw me on a compost heap!


Will do, promise! however don't forget that other seed companies are selling them and have sold them for a long time before JW renamed them as cucamelons.  I was able to buy my first Melothria Scabra seeds years before any of the hype.  I feel that many are put off by the over-promise more than by the actual veg.  If it is described properly, as reputable seed sellers have done, there isn't the let-down that many are feeling now.

In defense of Melothria or if you prefer 'Mouse Melon', the plants are still going well after mildew has dispatched cucumbers.  Together with Achocha, I like them for that reason and another is that the pickle doesn't taste half bad.   :wave:

I might try pickling them instead of gerkins then! Well as I forgot to grow gerkins it sounds reasonable to  me :glasses9:

galina

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #14 on: August 24, 2015, 08:32:51 »


I might try pickling them instead of gerkins then! Well as I forgot to grow gerkins it sounds reasonable to  me :glasses9:

Good luck   :sunny:

« Last Edit: August 24, 2015, 08:39:20 by galina »

pumkinlover

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #15 on: August 24, 2015, 13:33:57 »
 :wave: Have you tasted them yet? I always let gerkins grow too big anyway so if nice they may be a better choice.  :wave:

Hector

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #16 on: May 29, 2017, 13:29:31 »
Hmmmm.....I have two plants and looked on here to see if worth poly space.....or wondering about trailing a small squash trailing on a net over polytunnel path


What you think...squash or this


Ps my kids have never forgiven me for Wongs electric daisies
Jackie

PondDragon

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Re: Cucamelons
« Reply #17 on: May 29, 2017, 15:14:57 »
I'm trying Cucamelons for the first time this year - got several seedlings growing. I watched a video on them which recommended that you simply grow them intertwined with other climbing plants (tomatoes, melons etc), up the same supports/strings, because the plants are so small and spindly that they aren't worth giving space of their own to. They're meant to be perennial as well so should overwinter if the roots are kept frost-free.

 

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