Kiwano Melons.

I'm always interested in trying new fruits, so for my birthday last month my wife got a Kiwano Melon for us to try. It looks like something from another world, so much so that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine used them in the episode "Time's Orphan" (repurposed as "Golana Melon"). Covered with several hard, horn-like spikes, the Kiwano Melon, known scientifically as Cucumis metuliferus, turns a radiant orange when ripe. This contrasts with its pale-lime flesh. Kiwano Melon, in the Cucurbitaceae family, is related to cucumbers and gherkins, and the flavor of its flesh typically includes "cucumber-like" as a descriptor. I say includes because, in addition to hints of cucumber, I also tasted green banana and citrus. Deborah and I enjoyed it, but Corran wasn't too sure about the texture (as one source writes, "the pulp resembles lime-green Jell-O"). Still, he ate it...but, aside from unsweetened lemon, Corran hasn't met a fruit he hasn't liked.

Fruit of Cucumis metuliferus, the Kiwano Melon.

Cucumis metuliferus is an annual vine native to Africa and is cultivated as a traditional African food. It, along with the Gemsbok Cucumber (Acanthosicyos naudinianus), is a significant - some say only - source of water during the Kalahari Desert's dry season. When eaten fresh, most people suck out the pulp and spit out the seeds, though the seeds themselves are also edible. I saved ten of the seeds and planted them in starter pots. After all, if Kiwano Melon will grow as a crop in New Zealand and California, Colorado should have plenty of heat and sun. And, since our growing season is long enough for other melon crops, there should be more than enough time for the Kiwano Melons to ripen. I wasn't even sure if the seeds would be viable, but they were.

Growing Cucumis metuliferus trellised as a vine is the recommended method, but you can let it grow along the ground. Given its desert origins, Kiwano Melon prefers infrequent watering; allow the soil to dry out between waterings. It grows fast, so I am going to have to design and install some trellises before too long. But it will be worth it!

If you're interested in growing a Kiwano Melon, and you can't find one in your local market, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds sells packets of this and other unusual edibles and ornamentals.

The first sprouts of Ribes aureum and Shepherdia argentea.

A few days ago the first Shepherdia argentea, or Silver Buffaloberry, began germinating. This native fruit has the potential to grow to almost 20 feet in height with a spreading crown of equal size - much larger than its native cousin Shepherdia canadensis (Russet Buffaloberry). The fruit, a red fleshy drupe with a variable taste, was used historically by several Native American peoples as food, medicine, and dye. Many report that the fruit is bitter, but this is attributed to the presence of saponins; frost reportedly causes the sugar content to increase, improving the flavor. In any case, Silver Buffaloberry is drought-tolerant and, with pruning and shaping, can make a beautiful large shrub or small tree with silver-green leaves. Of course, like many native fruits, Shepherdia argentea is armed with impressive thorns. The fruit is mealy and considered edible, not necessarily delicious. However, its value from an ethnobotanical perspective (not to mention its drought-tolerance) makes the Silver Buffaloberry well worth the time and effort to grow it.

Shepherdia argentea. Photo taken at Chief Whitecap Park
in Saskatchewan, Canada by SriMesh.

This morning I also noticed the first of the Ribes aureum, or Golden Currant, sprouting. I hope to see more germinating in the next few days. This is another native fruit; the clove-scented yellow flowers are the source of its common name. Ribes aureum is considered one of the most delicious of the wild fruits adapted to our region. Unlike Shepherdia argentea, Ribes aureum is thornless. Though tolerant of moderate shade, it prefers moist soil in full sun. Typically three to six feet tall, the Golden Currant can grow even taller under optimal conditions. The berries, appearing on short racemes from the leaf axils (the base of the leaf at the stem), ripen from mid to late summer, turning a deep black or black-purple color. I am looking forward to establishing a small thicket of Golden Currant this year!

Ribes aureum. Photo by Stan Shebs.