Content
Melotria rough is now gaining popularity among exotic lovers. The relative unpretentiousness and very original appearance of the fruit encourages gardeners to grow this plant on their property. Melotria rough is a “cucumber” with a secretion. And you can get not only “mouse watermelons” from the plant.
What kind of plant is melotria?
The fame of the Mexican vine cannot be compared with its “compatriots”: potatoes, corn and tomatoes. This vine is native to Central America, where it received many other local names:
- mouse melon;
- Mexican sour gherkin;
- cucamelon (a compilation of the English cucumber and melon);
- Mexican miniature watermelon;
- Mexican sour cucumber;
- Pepkin.
The origin of these names becomes absolutely clear if you look at the photo of rough melotria and taste it once. They look like very small watermelons and smell like cucumbers. The taste is also cucumber, but with a slight sourness.
In the Russian-speaking space, the liana received 2 more names: mouse watermelon and African cucumber. However, the second name has no basis. Melothria is not an African cucumber and has nothing to do with Africa at all. Even to Equatorial.
With a high degree of probability, the confusion occurred due to the appearance of the fruits. Someone heard that the real watermelon comes from South Africa and decided that rough melotria is such a wild African watermelon. False information spreads quickly these days.
In fact, Melotria roughacea was domesticated in Central America. Researchers believe that this happened even before the European colonization of the continents.
Description
Melotria rough is a perennial vine from the pumpkin family. Belongs to the genus Melotria, which has about 166 species. Most representatives of this genus can only be used as ornamental plants. The fruits of Melotria rougha are also eaten.
The leaves of the vine are three-segmented and triangular in shape. Hairy. All 3 segments have sharp ends. The plant is monoecious. Both male and female flowers grow on the same vine. Male ones are collected in nodes of several pieces, female ones grow one at a time. The flowers are yellow, funnel-shaped. The whip grows up to 3 m over the summer.
In the homeland of vines, mouse watermelons or melotria are considered weed. Well deserved. This is an unpretentious weed. Like any self-respecting weed, rough melotria does not put all its eggs in one basket, reproducing only by seeds.By the end of the growing season, tubers form on the roots of Melotria rough, which allow the plant not to spend 3 weeks germinating seeds next year.
In hot climates, tubers on the roots will not allow you to completely destroy once planted rough melotria. Although sometimes such a need arises. Mexican vine is an aggressive plant. If it grows on the ground, it suppresses any other shoots. But in Mexico and tropical America there are no sub-zero temperatures, while in Russia, even in the south, the thermometer drops below zero in winter. Therefore, in Russia, the liana becomes an annual plant and can only reproduce by seeds.
Varieties of melotria rough
Given the theoretical length of the domestication period of melotria, there should be hundreds of varieties today, differing in color, taste and size. In reality, there are only plants with berries about 3 centimeters long and color variations within normal limits.
Among European colonialists, neither in America nor in Europe, there is any talk about any varieties of this plant. On Western websites they actively sell seeds and give instructions for growing melotria rough, but do not mention a word about the varieties. All references to any variety refer to Russian companies selling seed material. Therefore, the issue of varietal propagation of Melotria rougha needs to be approached with caution. This does not negate the high qualities of this plant. But “mouse watermelons” are still “an unplowed field” for companies involved in breeding. And when selling, it is often indicated that the variety is new.
Melotria Hummingbird
There is no data regarding the distinctive qualities of the Hummingbird variety from the usual Melothria scabra. Therefore, it is unknown whether the Gavrish company is really the originator of the variety or whether they simply named the seeds of an ordinary wild liana that way. The description of the variety comes down to Melothria scabra, and the method of growing melotria of the Hummingbird variety is no different from the cucumber variety.
This is correct, since the main timing of sowing and further care for the mouse watermelon actually almost completely coincides with the cucumber vine. Even with abundant watering, they need the same amount.
Melotria Mini cucumber
Strictly speaking, even the name indicates that this is not a variety, but simply that someone did not have enough imagination to describe the berry or that a tracing paper from the English “gerkin” - gherkin was used. This is not a cucumber, as there are certain differences. The minimum is another type of plant. The berries also do not look like gherkins in appearance.
But the principles of growing and harvesting are the same as for cucumber crops. Only here you don’t even need to pinch.
Melotria Chapiteau
But here, on the contrary, someone has a rich imagination. Manipulations with “varieties” of wild plants cannot be called anything other than a circus. You can safely buy based on the botanical description of Melotria rougha. Liana is really well suited for decorative landscaping on balconies, gazebos and fences. The main thing is not to buy an inedible species of this genus of plants.
Melotria Baby
Also a fair name. Berries up to 3 cm in size cannot be called anything other than tiny. But this word is not suitable as a variety name. The berries are already small. How can we make them even smaller?
Melotria rougha Mouse melon
There is no Mouse Melon variety. This is the “common” common name for rough melotria.Along with the “mouse watermelon”. In fact, the “mouse melon” is the wild ancestor of the cultivated melotria rough. But on sale there are packages of seeds called “mouse melon”. You just have to remember that this is not a specially bred variety.
The benefits and harms of melotria rougha
Even in the Western market, these fruits appeared and became fashionable quite recently. In America they are called the “forgotten heritage.” Due to the lack of data about the beneficial properties of melotria and contraindications to its use, no one can reliably tell yet, so they focus on cucumber and its obvious properties.
There is a lot of fiber in any fruit or vegetable with a hard skin. Therefore, berries contain a lot of fiber, which helps normalize intestinal function. Melotria also contains micro- and macroelements:
- calcium;
- sodium;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- iron.
They are found in any plant, since without them the development of flora is impossible. Vitamins C and B₉ are present in the fruits. Mouse melon also contains some kind of acid. Most likely it is oxalic or lemon. But there may be other types of acids, due to which the Melotria rough berry has a sour taste.
Melotria is useful in diets. To the same extent as a cucumber. It is just as watery and low in calories.
The contraindications for now are also the same as for cucumber:
- increased acidity in the stomach;
- gastritis;
- stomach ulcer.
Melothria is somewhat more dangerous than cucumber due to its high acid content.
Pickled fruits are not recommended for consumption by people with certain diseases of internal organs:
- gastrointestinal tract;
- of cardio-vascular system;
- liver;
- kidney
People with hypertension and atherosclerosis should not overuse salted or pickled melotria.
Growing melotria from seeds
Growing Melotria rough from seeds methodologically again coincides with cucumbers. Growing melotria is a little easier, since it does not require even the care that cucumber bushes need.
Mouse melon seeds are planted for seedlings at the same time as cucumber seeds: in February-March. The vine is not picky about soil and grows well in loamy soil. But for seedlings it is better to choose nutritious soil. The one that goes with cucumbers will do.
The seed is simply pressed into the ground with its sharp end and thoroughly watered with warm water. For the germination of melotria rough, an air temperature of + 24 ° C is required. On Russian-language sites, by analogy with other pumpkin plants, there is information about the germination of melotria seeds within 3-5 days.
Foreign sites “unanimously” claim that the main difference between rough melotria and its “relatives” is a very long germination time. It takes 3-4 weeks for vine sprouts to emerge from the ground. And the higher the air temperature, the faster the seeds will germinate. Therefore, if the purchased “varietal” seeds have not sprouted after a week, you need to wait another 3 weeks before getting disappointed and throwing out the melotria. It is better to do germination on a sunny windowsill. The earth should also warm up. After the first 2-3 true leaves develop, the air temperature can be reduced to + 18-21°C.
Seedlings are planted in a heated greenhouse in March, in an unheated greenhouse in May, or even later in open ground. The planting pattern is the same as for cucumber.At first the vine grows very slowly, but then its development accelerates. Melothria cannot be left to curl on the ground, it begins to rot. For this plant, retaining walls or trellises are installed. You can make a hedge from vines.
Choose a site for planting that is protected from the wind and well warmed by the sun. You can’t plant mouse melon where other cucurbitaceae grew last year. Being a “relative”, she is susceptible to the same diseases and pests. Melothria is moisture-loving. The soil under the vine should always be moist.
Harvesting
The fruits begin to be collected in July. The main harvest ends in September, but in warm climates the vine can bear fruit until December. Still unripe fruits are collected for food. The edible berries reach a length of 2.5 cm, but still remain firm and strong. In this form they are used for salads, canning and preparing other dishes. Melotria rough ripens in the same way as other pumpkins: the fruits acquire a very hard skin.
After the harvest is harvested and the vine has dried, you need to dig up the edible tubers that have formed on the roots. These formations taste like sweet potatoes.
How to collect melotria seeds
Overripe fruits are used to collect seeds. It is best to pick up the berries that have fallen to the ground and leave them on a tray indoors for another 1-2 weeks. After this, the fruits are cut and the seeds are removed from them. The resulting mass is placed in a jar of water and left for 5 days.
During this time, pathogenic organisms have time to die, and the seeds are sorted by quality.The best seeds sink to the bottom of the jar. After 5 days of infusion, the contents of the jar are poured into a strainer and washed well. The seeds remaining in the sieve are laid out on a clean surface in a cool, well-ventilated room and dried for 2 weeks.
After drying, the seeds are transferred to an airtight jar and placed in a cool, dry place. When properly stored, the germination of melotria seeds lasts up to 10 years.
Propagation by tubers
If you don’t want to wait 3 weeks before the first seed germinates, and there are conditions for storage, melotria can also be propagated by tubers. In late autumn they need to be dug up and placed in the basement. Store the tubers in slightly damp peat. They are planted in a permanent place after the earth has warmed up.
Melotria recipes
The berries of this vine almost completely replace cucumbers in taste and smell, so there are no special recipes for Melotria rough. It is used in the same place where cucumbers are used. Melotria rough preparations for the winter are also made according to the “cucumber” recipe. The same goes for salads, pickling or jam.
The advantage of this berry is that children really like small “watermelons”. Children should not be forced to eat these fruits. Children often eat them on the spot, tearing them off the vine.
Melotria pickling recipe
Every family has marinade recipes for any product. You can try different ingredients and proportions. In the case of melotria rough, it is enough to choose one of those marinades that are suitable for cucumbers:
- 1 kg of fruits;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 2 dill umbrellas with seeds;
- 5 cloves of garlic;
- ½ pod of hot pepper;
- a teaspoon of vinegar essence;
- 70 g salt;
- 100 g sugar.
Rinse the fruits, garlic, bay and dill thoroughly and pour over boiling water. Place in sterilized jars, add salt and sugar. Pour boiling water and wait until the salt and sugar dissolve. Drain the brine and boil again. Fill the jars again and add vinegar. Close the lids tightly.
Salting melotria
Open pickling is again borrowed from cucumbers. The fruits are poured with brine, to which salt, vinegar and sugar are added to taste. Garlic, black pepper, dill root, and other spices are added for flavor. This product is intended for quick consumption, as there is no sterility.
Melotria jam
The recipe for making jam is again borrowed from the cucumber crop, and the technique from the gooseberry. Young fruits are used for jam. The rough melotria does not need to be peeled; there is too little pulp and a lot of water underneath. Jam is made from whole fruits. You can prick them with a needle, like gooseberries.
Ingredients:
- mouse watermelons 500 g;
- 1 lemon;
- 1 orange;
- cinnamon stick;
- star anise;
- 2 boxes of cardamom;
- 300 g sugar;
- vanilla to taste.
Cut the orange into cubes and remove the seeds. Juice is squeezed out of the lemon. All ingredients are placed in a saucepan, a little water is added and put on fire. After the liquid boils, reduce the flame and cook until thickened for 40-50 minutes.
Reviews on growing Melotria Hummingbird
Conclusion
Melotria rough is a completely new plant for Russia. It turned out to be not quite old for “native” America either. Thanks to its unpretentiousness, it can replace cucumbers, since these plants are the same in terms of heat-loving behavior, and there is much less hassle with mouse watermelon.
