Thursday, 21 March 2013

[KM] Keep_Mailing cucamelon




 

 
 
 
 

Exotic Mexican plant which tastes of cucumber and lime called cucamelon is launched in Britain for the first time

  • Odd-looking fruit can be pickled, made into salsa or eaten on its own
  • Seeds of cucamelon will be sold by a company in Devon

 

 

They are the size of grapes, look like miniature watermelons and taste of cucumbers and lime.

But the bizarre-looking 'cucamelon' is not some genetically-modified hybrid grown in a laboratory.

It's a central American delicacy that's been eaten in Mexico for centuries.

Cucamelon: This odd-looking fruit looks like a tiny watermelon but tastes like a cucumber

Cucamelon: This odd-looking fruit looks like a tiny watermelon but tastes like a cucumber

Serving suggestion: The small fruits can be eaten on their own like an olive or other snack

Serving suggestion: The small fruits can be eaten on their own like an olive or other snack

Now British gardeners will be able to taste it for themselves after Suttons Seeds included the plant in their new range.

Enthusiasts say it be can be sliced up in a salad to complement radishes and pickles, added to sandwiches or just eaten on its own as a refreshing zesty snack.

 

 

Before now, fans of the cucamelon had to go to specialist supermarkets to track one down.

But it can now be grown in tubs, pots, or growbags. Sown in April, they take two to three months to mature. Despite their exotic origins, they are easier to grow than regular cucumbers. They are ignored by pests, resistant to drought and perfectly happy to grow outdoors.

Suttons Seeds are selling them online as part of its Homegrown Revolution range, which has been created with TV gardener James Wong. Seeds cost £1.85 for a packet of 20 or £7.99 for three small plants.

Innovative: But cucamelons have been a key part of Mexican cuisine for several centuries

Innovative: But cucamelons have been a key part of Mexican cuisine for several centuries

Pods: Seeds for the cucamelon plant are going on sale in the UK for the first time

Pods: Seeds for the cucamelon plant are going on sale in the UK for the first time

A Suttons spokesman said: 'It can be used in a variety of dishes including salads and salsa, or can be speared and placed in a martini glass which works quite well.'

The fruit, also known as a 'mouse melon' or 'Mexican sour gherkin', can be eaten on its own, pickled or used in salsa.

They can be cultivated in tubs, pots, or growbags and take around two to three months to mature.

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.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Like this Page https://www.facebook.com/coonooryusuf

ALWAYS KEEP SMILING


ALWAYS KEEP_MAILING

Just click here


M.YUSUF
COONOOR
THE NILGIRIS



--
--
To post to this group, send email to keep_mailing@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "keep_mailing" group.
To post to this group, send email to keep_mailing@googlegroups.com.
 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment