This funny plant has many different names. His name is American cucumber, and mouse watermelon, and sour gherkin, and watermelon cucumber, and hummingbird cucumber. There is also a scientific name - rough melotria (lat. Melothria scabra). To us, watermelon cucumber, or cucumber watermelon, cucamelons came from Central and South America. The name itself is interesting: cucamelon is a derivative of the English cucumber (cucumber) and watermelon (watermelon).
Cucumber exotic
Sour gherkin fruits are edible. They are very small, from 1 to 4 cm, light green in color with dark stripes, like a watermelon. Their skin is covered with thick edging, hard, with sourness. That's where the name "sour gherkin" came from.
These mini-watermelons are very juicy and crispy, they taste like their relatives, ordinary cucumbers. They are s alted, fermented, marinated, eaten raw. You need to collect ripe fruits while still young, otherwise the pulp is not so tender and there are a lot of seeds in them. From one bush you can collect from 4 to 6 kg of fruits and up to 1.5 kg of tubers. An overripe cucumber watermelon becomes sweetish in taste, the seeds harden, its color becomes not so bright, the dark stripes lighten and turn yellow. There are also other varietiesmini watermelons. Their color in the form of a mesh is more like a melon. In Latin America they are called Sandita or "mouse melon".
Delicious bonus
It is impossible to ignore the root crops. They are also edible, similar in taste to sweet potatoes, radishes, and cucumbers, and are good in salads with greens and seasonal vegetables. Only they are stored for a short time, so immediately after digging you need to send them to a plate.
Stems and leaves
This is a perennial vine-like plant with small oval-shaped fruits like large grapes, with a color reminiscent of mini-watermelons, and a taste of cucumbers.
It is often grown as an ornamental, because its stems reach a height of three meters. Melothria has a lot of leaves and fruits. It is well suited for landscaping arbors in the garden, sheds, fences. Such a liana twists and grows very quickly, clinging to all the rough antennae, so it needs supports of at least 2 meters in height. The flowers and leaves of the mouse watermelon are similar to cucumber ones. Only in males, flowers are collected in inflorescences, while in females they are single flowers with a pleasant aroma that attracts bees. Unlike its relatives, the watermelon cucumber remains green all summer, does not turn yellow and does not shed its leaves, and its fruits retain their color and shape until the first frost. Melothria is very unpretentious in care, does not require frequent watering and a large amount of land, it can be grown even on the balcony.
Useful properties
As you know, cucumber-watermelon is used not only as an ornamental plant. Its fruits are edible and beneficial to the body. So, fiber, which is part of them, normalizes bowel function, relieves constipation, helps to eliminate toxins and toxins.
Low calorie promotes weight loss in people who want to lose weight. Regular intake of these vegetables has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the pancreas, kidneys, reduces swelling, improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system, and lowers blood pressure.
Contraindications
Despite a number of useful properties of sour gherkin, it is not suitable for everyone. So, people suffering from high acidity should refrain from eating it. Due to the acid contained in the peel, watermelon cucumber can provoke gastritis and stomach ulcers. S alted and pickled fruits are contraindicated in diseases of the liver and kidneys.
Recipes
Mini watermelon cucumbers are good in pickles and marinade. Sometimes red hot peppers are added to them, which only improves the taste. They are also good in assorted pickles: with tomatoes, sweet peppers, zucchini and broccoli. To emphasize the unusualness and exoticism of the dish, miniature dishes in light colors are used for serving.
They can also be used as a side dish for meat and fish dishes. Raw, they are suitable for salads, one of which is offered below.
Vegetable salad with melotria
You will need:
- curly lettuce;
- melotria – 5 pcs;
- cherry tomatoes - 5 pcs;
- feta cheese - 100 g;
- olives - 5 pcs;
- olive oil.
Put lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes and melotria cut into halves on a wide plate, add feta, olives, season with olive oil.
Meat salad with melotria, arugula and tomatoes
This dish is very light, nutritious and contains few calories. If desired, mayonnaise can be replaced with low-fat yogurt, and chicken can be used instead of beef for a change.
Ingredients:
- boiled beef - 300 g;
- boiled eggs - 2 pcs;
- melotria – 10 pcs;
- cherry tomatoes - 10 pcs;
- arugula;
- dill;
- green onion;
- rye croutons;
- mayonnaise.
Wash arugula and put in a shallow salad bowl, add chopped dill. Cut the tomatoes and mini watermelons into halves. Grind the boiled beef into strips, mix everything and season with mayonnaise. Top with croutons before serving.
This is a fairly light and satisfying dish. Of course, cucumber-watermelon can be replaced with lightly s alted cucumbers. But it is its piquant taste that gives the dish tenderness, freshness and slight sourness.
