The Cucamelon, Also Called Mouse Melon

Discussion in 'Crops & Gardens' started by Yvonne Smith, Jun 21, 2021.

  1. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I found one of these interesting little cucumbers a while back at Lowes, and put it out in a planter with a tomato cage.
    It has grown really well, and now has the baby cucamelons on it. Apparently, they are neither a true cucumber or a melon, but these tiny things totally resemble a watermelon of about the size that a mouse would pack home for a mouse picnic.
    It said that they only get about an inch long, and mine are not quite that long yet, so I am hoping that they are still growing.
    Right now, they are about the size of (or smaller than) a blueberry.
    Here is a website that explains more about the cucamelon.
    https://homesteadandprepper.com/cucamelons-growing-this-strange-and-wonderful-fruit/

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  2. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    How odd.

    And you found it at Lowes????
     
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  3. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    Or maybe Home Depot. It was outside in the garden section with all of the other plant starts. I only saw one, or I might have gotten more of them. But if I can save the tubers, then I should have more next year. I am curious to see how they taste !
     
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  4. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    My cucamelon has spread all over the fence, and it is covered with the midget cucumbers ! I think that what I might do this fall, is cut back the trailing vines, and bring the planter inside and try to winter it in the house.
    Now that I know how much it can spread, I am going to find a place where it has plenty of room and fence space to climb on.
    I need to go out and harvest a bunch of them; but the mosquitoes in the back yard are horrendous. I would have to bundle up like it was winter to survive the trip out back to harvest the cucamelons.
     
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  5. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    Around here they are called Sandita de Raton which is Spanish for "watermelon for a mouse." They are used in salsa and salads. Many grow them for pickling and many have total fence lines covered with them. They can take over and while mostly disease and insect-resistant, they can get so thick they don't breathe well and harbor disease that can harm other plants. It is a good idea to keep them from taking over by thinning. I used to keep mine pruned and a few early mornings before sunrise every week, spray them off with my nosled garden hose. We have so much blowing dust and they worked like a filter catching it. Without weekly care, they became a haven for insects, mold, and rodents. The neighborhood and my own cats grew frustrated trying to catch mice that sought shelter in them.

    One small mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant here used them for salads, in their salsa. and also for making mojitos. If you like mojitos, they are better than a regular cuke with their natural citrus flavor.

    I tore all mine out several years ago due to allergies from the mildew that was uncontrollable and also the weekly maintenance that required a ladder since mine were 8' tall. Also, they were harboring moths that were damaging to other garden plants. I think if you built a special trellis where you could maintain them from all sides, they would be fun to have if you love gardening.

    If you like cukes, you will like them and they are so nice just to put on a salad as is. They tended to give me more heartburn than regular cukes, but that is just me.

    My friend Maria's pickled cucuamelon recipe (one quart)

    4 cups of fresh cucamelons
    1 cup distilled white vinegar
    1 cup apple cider vinegar
    2 Tbsp honey
    2 tsp sea salt, not regular table salt
    1 small handful of fresh dill
    1 tsp peppercorn
    1 tsp mustard seed
    1/4th tsp of red chili flakes
    4 slices Jalapeno

    Place cucamelons, Jalepeno peppers, dill, yellow mustard seeds, dill seed, and peppercorns in the sterilized jar.
    Combine vinegar, red chili flakes, honey, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until the salt has dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
    Pour vinegar mixture over cucamelons so they are completely covered.
    Close jar with the lid and let stand 3 to 4 days.
    Refrigerate for 7 days then enjoy.
     
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    Last edited: Aug 30, 2021
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  6. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I will have to try some of the pickled ones, @Faye Fox ; that sounds really good, and so does the idea of using them in salsa !
    What did you do with yours in the winter ?
    Did you have to bring the plant inside, start it from new seeds each year, or did it just survive and come back like perennial vines do (as opposed to a regular cucumber vine which dies after a fall frost) ?
     
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  7. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    They are easily killed by frost and won't grow if daytime temperatures don't get over 60. Since this is a dry climate they required daily watering and loved misting. Our lows stay over 50 starting in early June with daytime highs reaching over 100. We have about 3 months they will thrive if keep moist. The old ag expert that lived a couple of houses down suggested keeping a flat sprinkler hose going during low humidity on them. It worked but was also the reason for the mildew. Most of the cucamelons in the fruit stands here are imported from damp regions of Mexico. My community is about 70% Latino and lots of fruit and vegetables are imported from Mexico especially in the winter. I bought starts from a lady that had a large heated greenhouse. I left the dead vines for covering my fence. After several years my fence was like a woven basket with the new plants using the old dead stems as a trellis.
     
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  8. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I have heard of them called Mexican sour gherkins but have never grown them. They simply wouldn't grow here, and I wasn't familiar with them when I lived in warmer climes.
     
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