Please read text!
Kiwano Horned Melon Cucumis Metuliferus Seeds
This one is a real beauty and you get a big packet of 25+ seeds!
Great taste and just about indestructible. We just chuck a seedling in whatever gap or missing plant that a hungry kangaroo has eaten in our rows and walk away. They seriously don’t need any care, but if you do regularly water them the yields can be huge.
The cool looking fruits start of bright green then ripen to a golden yellow/orange. Serious looking thorns that do a pretty good job of protecting the delicious juicy pulp from predators, but are evenly spaced so they are easy to pick and handle. Your fingers fit between the spikes perfectly.
Native to the Kalahari desert of Africa and one of only 2 permanent sources of water there, the other being the foul bitter tasting “Gemsbok Cucumber”.
Still used by the bushmen to this day, as well as being prized by chefs around the world for its juicy tropical taste as well as the novelty factor of its appearance.
Don’t let their native range fool you, they grow fine just about anywhere even handling a bit of frost and our flooding rains, except in heavy wet clay. (Not many plants can thrive in heavy clays though so you can’t hold that against them!)
We have a heap on our place down near the dam, and they are great to munch on while having a dip. No pests or diseases that we have ever noticed?
They store really well lasting for months after picking.
The nice ripe Orange/Yellow ones taste of banana/melon/something good…..
Plus, if you scoop out the flesh and boil with sugar and water then strain the seed out, you can pour the “jelly” back in the groovy little “bowls” and set them in the fridge for a classy looking bright green desert! Would be at home in any restaurant I reckon!
Well there you have it.
Another cool and very versatile plant for the collection!
