Cucamelon, also known as a ‘mouse melon’ or ‘Mexican sour gherkin’, can be eaten on its own, pickled or used in salsa. The sour fruits grow on a thin vine and are surrounded by leaves that look similar to ivy and drop to the floor when ripe.
It’s a Central American delicacy that’s been eaten in Mexico for centuries. They are the size of grapes, look like miniature watermelons and taste of cucumbers and lime.
The small fruits can be eaten on their own like an olive or other snack. British gardeners will be able to taste it for themselves after Sutton seeds included the plant in their new range.
The plant grows into beautiful vines and creates a large bounty of bite size melons that are easier to grow than regular cucumbers.
Even better, they are resistant to drought, happy to grow outside and pests stay away.Similar to the cucumber, these plants produce both male and female flowers. These plants can fertilize themselves, but the flowers are not self-fertile.
Flowers are small and yellow, about four millimeters in diameter. Fruits develop at the base of the female flower.
It has been a staple of Mexican and Central American diets since pre-Columbian times, hence its great array of names in indigenous languages.
These people also use the melon in non-culinary ways, including in medicine, yet little of this information can be found in mainstream literature.
Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a source of simple sugars, fiber, and vitamins, which are essential for optimizing our health.
Fruit’s health benefiting properties are because of their richness in vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, anti-oxidants, which helps the body prevent or at least prolong the natural changes of aging by protecting and rejuvenating cells, tissues and organs.
Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits may reduce your risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke and may also protect against certain types of cancer.