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.
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.
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.
FINDING CUCAMELON SEEDS:
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.
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.
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.
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