Mouse Melon - Cucamelon - 20 Seeds - A Must for the Vegetable Garden

Cucamelons can be eaten in exactly the same way as traditional cucumbers - sliced into salads, chopped into salsas or pickled whole like cornichons. Mix whole cucamelons (fresh, blanched or pickled) into a bowl of olives and serve with drinks, or why not go the whole way and spear them with toothpicks and pop them in a martini. The flavour has been described as 'Cucumber with a bit of watermelon rind and a squeeze of lemon or lime'. This tiny treasure can match the crunch of pretzels and chips. They are terrific in stir-fries; can be pickled just like French gherkins, eaten raw in salads or pickled. They also can be chopped and added to salsas for extra texture and flavour. A conversation piece in the garden, or as an edible centerpiece at the table. Sow under protection in pots late February to April. Place seeds on end, blunted end pointing downwards in compost and simply push into compost out of sight. Water thoroughly and germinate at a temperature of around 24°C (75°F). When two or three seed leaves have developed, reduce the temperature to around 18 to 21°C (65 to 70°F). Cucamelons, unlike most cucurbits (squash, courgettes, pumpkins, etc), take a while to germinate, up to four weeks. The key factor to speeding this up is giving them enough heat. Usually a sunny windowsill is perfect, but under very cold conditions they can be popped into a heated propagator.

• Sow February - April
• Easy to grow
• Days to germination: 30
• Strong vines
• Ships from Ohio