#cucamelons

Raspberry Pickled Beets (Vegan)

Impressive in a salad, I suppose.

Recommend.

#cucamelons (at Jackson Family Gardens) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChTKpC4P373/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Abracadabra pow! I shrank a whole harvest of watermelons to fit in a mug. Of course, I’m joking – magic has no business on a science social media page. If they aren’t magically miniaturised watermelons, then what are these tiny fruits? These tiny “watermelons” are Cucamelons (Melothria scabra), a species related to both cucumbers and melons which is found in tropical forests ranging from Mexico to Venezuela. Unlike many wild cucumber-like plants, the cucamelon fruits are sweet and edible. This plant is a specialty food crop for indigenous Central Americans and is known as the “sandita” (little watermelon) or “sandia raton” (mouse watermelon) in Spanish. While Cucamelons remain a novelty exotic vegetable, they are sometimes sold at specialty grocery stores and farmers’ markets even in the UK. Although photoshop artists have made images of Cucamelons with red flesh to bamboozle gardeners into thinking they are literally tiny watermelons, the real Cucamelon’s insides resemble a cucumber. The flesh is juicy and green, with soft edible white seeds. Cucamelons have a refreshing cucumber-like taste with a hint of citrus. Not much research is available on the nutritional or medicinal benefits, but they are a rich source of fibre, potassium, and antioxidants. They are an exciting addition to salads and an amusing finger food. I once handed out homegrown Cucamelons instead of candy at a PR event for a student organisation at Imperial College! If you’d like to try growing your own, Cucamelons are surprisingly easy to cultivate. In Northern Europe since they flourish in unheated greenhouses. The plants can be started from seed early in the spring but they do not survive frost. The vines are decorative plants with attractive star-shaped leaves, elegant tendrils, tiny yellow flowers, and striped fruits. Add some botanical magic to your plant collection and see if you can trick your friends into thinking you have a shrinking ray in your garden shed. #cucamelon #katia_plantscientist #melothriascabra #magic #melon #watermelon #cucurbitaceae #vines #greenhouseplants #cucumber #miniaturefood #growyourown #exoticvegetables #sandita #mousemelon #climbingplant #botany #cute

we could do with re-potting them soon and giving them something to climb, but we just haven't had the chance yet. I think we probably need to re-pot some of the other plants too