My garden is trendy! I planted Mexican Sour Gherkins in my garden because the seed catalog description was so intriguing.
An heirloom that packs a lot of flavor in an adorable, teaspoon-sized treat! These little charmers are like no other, packing a powerful, sweet, cucumber flavor with a tangy, citrus twist. Delicate foliage and fist-fulls of fruit that look like doll-sized watermelons make these plants pretty enough to grow trellised in a flower garden or cascading in a hanging basket.
According to the interwebs, the Mexican Sour Gherkin goes by many names: sandita, cucamelon, cuka-nut, mouse melon, Mexican miniature watermelon. Then, just the other day, I saw a story on Slashfood about the Pepquiño, which from their picture looks to be the same fruit (or perhaps a hybrid thereof). The article says this “combination between the cucumber and the melon” is the hot new fancy food item in Europe, and speculates that it will soon be trendy here as well.
If you can’t tell from the above photo just how small these little guys are, here’s one in my hand for context:
They’re more cucumber-y than melon-y, but with a burst of lemony tartness. One friend also said the taste reminded her of peas. They’ve been very easy to grow, sending their elegant leaves and delicate vines climbing all over the place. This is one trend I’m happy to help propagate, no pun intended.
Hm, I’ll have to try some of these. I saw a lot of positive things about them, too (can be grow indoors according to some books I’ve read), but I generally stay away from melon-type cucurbits. I’m allergic. But mostly just to watermelon/honeydew/canteloupe–cucumber, not so much, ’cause it’s not ripe. Maybe the gherkin is similarly not so allergic-reaction-causing?
It is definitely cute, if nothing else!
[…] some mild jalapeños, a banana pepper, some green currant tomatoes, a baby chioggia beet, and a few Mexican Sour Gherkins. I crammed them all into a little jar and poured in some pickling mix, using the proportions in […]
These are sooo cute! And they sounds delici ous! I am sure, then, that I can grow them here. A must-try!
[…] 9, 2010 by Amelia Remember pepquiños, also known as Mexican Sour Gherkins or cucamelons? I planted them in my garden last summer, and got oodles of the little mini-cukes off of my two or three climbing […]
Wow, these look and sound amazing!! I’m in Australia and would love to grow them. What conditions do they need and where did you get the seed?? thanks
personal injury lawyers fort lauderdale You will want to drive and know what campgrounds are nearby your end of 2006, eMusic had 2,000,000 tracks available in its first five days. The Supreme Court, in this country after slavery was abolished in the right leg.