"The tragic reality is that very few sustainable systems are designed or applied by those who hold power, and the reason for this is obvious and simple: to let people arrange their own food, energy and shelter is to lose economic and political control over them. We should cease to look to power structures, hierarchical systems, or governments to help us, and devise ways to help ourselves." - Bill Mollison

Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Mexican Sour Gherkin


They look like miniature watermelons and taste like sour little cucumbers. We started growing these about 3 years ago as a novelty that adds a little pizazz to our salads. The sour little fruits get about 1-2" long and the vines readily climb any trellis provided. I have not tried it but they are supposed to be excellent pickled and will store fresh for a surprisingly long time.

The vines alone are a very lovely addition to the garden

10 comments:

Roasted Garlicious said...

those are very cute.. i've not heard of them before, what a wealth of info you are Mr. H... i'm going to see if i could grow them in my climate... something for next years garden :D

Mr. H. said...

Roasted Garlicious,

They are a suprisingly hearty plant once they get going. Mine stay green and productive long after our cucumbers have given up for the year. Keep in mind they are pretty small and at least 4 plants would be needed to produce an abundance of mini watermelons.

LynnS said...

(Well there went my comment into the Netherworld...)

I was wondering if those could be julienne strip-cut or eaten in Asian foods?

Stefaneener said...

Well, don't you all find the most unusual things to grow? Thanks for sharing.

Mr. H. said...

Hi Lynn,

They are very similar in texture to a young cucumber, so they should hold together pretty well if cut into long strips.

Mr. H. said...

Stefaneener,

It's surprising how many of these unusual veggis that we try end up becoming serious crops for us.

Lacey said...

We just discovered these ourselves this year and LOVE them! We planted just two plants in a standard hanging basket (being unsure of what we were getting into) and now, two months later, the basket resembles just a large tangle of greenery hanging from the shed! So many mini watermelons! We're definitely going to grow many more plants next year!

And I would describe the taste as more 'tangy' than sour ... but that's just me. I love these things! I snack on a couple every time I walk past the basket :P

Mr. H. said...

Hi Lacey,

Aren't they great! I tried a few more today and I think you may be right...more tangy then sour. Ours always take a little time to get going but before you know it they are vining all over the place.:)

tai haku said...

Very cool plants. I'm pondering playing with these and a few other wild cucumbery things next year.

Mr. H. said...

tai haku,

We are going to try growing the little gherkins in hanging baskets next year. There sure are a lot of unusual choices in the world of cucumbers and gherkins.

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