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.
[attachment=1]
[attachment=2]
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.
I am unfamiliar with this plant how do you eat the pods- do you cook them ?
Duke :)
..your secret for success must be wickes compost... ;) ;D
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) :)
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.
Quote from: goodlife on August 21, 2010, 20:13:42
..your secret for success must be wickes compost... ;) ;D
I don't think so, I've never used it. :)
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? :)
Quote from: Bugloss2009 on August 21, 2010, 21:54:53
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. ;)
Thanks saddad:)
It looks interesting.
Duke
Which variety did you grow? XX Jeannine
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. :)
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.
We had one of those squashes at your spring plant sale Betty It doing well. Did have the leaflet somewhere ::)
Quote from: Bugloss2009 on August 21, 2010, 21:54:53
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!"
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 07:42:41
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.
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.
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 09:13:53
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....
Quote from: Squash64 on August 22, 2010, 05:39:44
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!
Quote from: galina on August 22, 2010, 09:26:12
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 09:13:53
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?
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 09:13:53
(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?
....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
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 09:42:51
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.
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 09:58:43
....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.
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.
Quote from: galina on August 22, 2010, 10:07:28
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.
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 10:16:38
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'.
How d'you prounounce it - achocha or ach choo choo?
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 07:42:41
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
Quote from: galina on August 22, 2010, 09:49:28
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.
Quote from: earlypea on August 22, 2010, 09:42:51
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.
Quote from: lottie lou on August 22, 2010, 10:40:50
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?
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
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
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?
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.