The Mexican Sour Gherkin

Looking like teeny tiny watermelons, their distinctive light and dark green “rinds” do stand out.
The Mexican Sour Gherkin (Melothria scabra) is an heirloom native to Mexico and Central America, where it’s known as Sandita (little watermelon).

Overall, it just a bizarre little veggie.
Vining up to 10 FT, these babies definitely add interest to your garden.
It does, however, take forever to grow. Weeks and weeks later, it finally takes off, with tendrils climbing everywhere.
And weeks after that, little bitty ‘melons’ start to appear.

Finally, we get to try one….

Yowza!!! They don’t call it ‘sour’ for nothing, folks. It’s got a bite to it
fer-sur.

It’s a cucamelon!! ( without anything to do with melons)

Between the Gherkins, the Lemon, the Dragon Egg and the Boston cucumbers, You can only eat so many, and give so many cucumbers away until they start piling up….then it’s pickle time.

I’ll try to pickle the Gherkins later this week, but atleast I was able to can the rest.