Unknown cucumber

       




It was grown by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. They were known in medieval Europe. And it seems that we know about cucumbers — but selection continues to "conjure" over a crunchy vegetable, and growers and gardeners are increasingly interested in seeds of exotic vines, because some overseas relatives pumpkin can settle down and we. Let's get acquainted: unusual 6 "cucumbers" from around the world!

        Cucumber varieties of "Salt and pepper" (Salt and Pepper)





Agronomists Cavatorta Jason and Molly Jahn of Cornell University (Cornell University, New York) from the ordinary cucumber brought a new and delicious sort, whose palatability gourmets unanimously praised for "five plus".

The strange title of "vegetable masterpiece" received for his appearance: the rind is not green, but almost white as salt. Besides, cucumber is covered with black dots that resemble black pepper. Advantages of the new varieties in farming practices ruggedness, resistance to powdery mildew and some other pests.

        Cucumber-lemon, or "Crystal Apple" (Crystal apple)





When these strange curved cucumbers ripen, the color and form are similar to lemons. However, the taste is ordinary cucumbers — crunchy, sweet and fragrant, ideal for canning. From each plant, fruiting before frost, you can collect up to 10 kg merry "lemons". Seeds are on sale in stores in Western Europe or available on the Internet – luckily, variety is not a hybrid, because next year the gardener will have your own stock of seeds.

        Antillean cucumber – Kivano (Cucumis metulifer)





Other names the new Zealand cucumber horned melon, anguria. Yellow-orange fruit with numerous "horns" called melons for a nice and refreshing taste of green pulp, which combines notes of banana, cucumber and lemon.





Beautiful fruits are used in cooking, medicine and even for decorating areas – from plant compositions to Christmas decorations.

        Red cucumber — Thladiantha (Thladiantha dubia)





5-6 inch "cucumber", and in fact only oblong pumpkins, the taste is reminiscent of cucumbers with honey, use in salads, side dishes and jams. The plant is very unpretentious – it can be grown on balconies or covered loggias.





And, you can cross a red cucumber with melon, pumpkin and cucumbers common to get funny hybrids of unusual color.

African mini-cucumber — Melothria (Melothria scabra)





Melothria rough – a perennial vine native to tropical forests of Equatorial Africa. Small green fruit with a pronounced marble pattern to taste like a cucumber that can be eaten fresh or canned.





Except the fruit of the plant forms tubers weighing up to 400 grams, resembling the tubers of sweet potatoes – they are used in salads. To grow melothria in the middle lane can be – but in the winter, the tubers freeze, so in our conditions it is necessary to grow babies as an annual, i.e. seedlings.

Indian cucumber – MOMORDICA (Momordica charantia)





The image of the curiosities familiar to all – thanks to the stylized prints on textile, printing, etc. Oriental vine of the Cucurbitaceae family is also called a mad melon or balsam pear. The elongated berry is a bright orange color, covered with bumps, contains red seeds that tastes just like a ripe persimmon. The "wrapper" is close to the taste of ripe pumpkin with bitterness.





Sly the plant itself dictates when it is time to harvest: as long as the seeds fully ripen, all parts of the vines burn like nettles. Shrew beauty can be grown in greenhouses, balcony and even on the windowsill – why not make the interior good?

 

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