Today, interesting times have come for lovers of exotic foods, when you can buy a lot of food products, and, in particular, fruits. One of them is the Horned Melon. This is an amazing fruit that grows in the hot climate of Africa. It attracts many gourmets with its yellow-orange peel and jelly-like pulp with a tart taste.
Characteristics of Kiwano
Melon Kiwano, Anguria, Melano, African cucumber - these are all the names of this plant. We are talking about a herbaceous annual vine. She is a close relative of our cucumbers.The exotic crop blooms yellow and has large, heavily dissected leaves. The height of the plant due to creeping climbing shoots can reach up to 4 meters. It has a large number of tendrils on its stems, and the culture is also highly branched.
The African exotic fruits are ellipsoidal in shape and have strange, large thorns on them. While they are not yet ripe, they have a light green skin color, and later change their color to yellow-orange. Kiwano pulp is dark green, jelly-like, with a lemon aroma. The size of the fruit is identical to the pot-bellied cucumber (6–12 cm), and it weighs 40–350 grams.
The ripening period lasts approximately up to 70 days from emergence. The start of fruiting is mid-summer; a plant can produce up to 50 fruits over the entire period.
Chemical composition and beneficial properties
This fruit consists of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It contains many vitamins, especially groups B and P, as well as ascorbic acid and beta-carotene. Microelements Kiwano contains potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, phosphorus and copper with zinc. In addition, the fruits of this plant contain organic acids and salts.
The beneficial qualities of Horned Melon are:
- It can be grown both as a vegetable plant and as an ornamental crop. The fruits look so beautiful on the vines that you can use them to create original compositions. It is also possible to use the fruit to decorate the Christmas tree.
- This is a low-calorie product with a lot of liquid. The fruits of this crop should be eaten when losing weight.
- The overseas fruit has a number of healing properties. It has a good effect on human health in case of cardiovascular diseases, anemia, atherosclerosis, tuberculosis, gout, bronchitis.
- Kiwano fruit juice is used as a sedative. It is very useful to drink for people with sleep disorders. To do this, take 15 drops of juice and add honey.
- The juice also removes toxins and radionuclides.
- Horned melon improves intestinal motility, and when applied externally to the skin, it actively heals burns and open wounds.
- The sweet taste of the fruit will not prevent people with diabetes from consuming it.
- Its peel can be used to make original plates or cups if you dry them after eating the pulp.
No harmful substances have been found in Kiwano, however, some people may have an allergic reaction to it.
Ways to eat exotic fruit
At a time when we are just thinking about how to eat it, the peoples of Africa consume it both as the main ingredient of dishes and as a snack.
Its taste is very interesting: it resembles a mixture of banana, lemon, zucchini, and even cucumber. The consistency of the exotic fruit's pulp is jelly-like and aromatic. An excellent solution is to consume the fruit fresh. To do this, it is cut into two parts and eaten with a spoon. Of course, you can suck out the pulp and discard the seeds.
It is also eaten in salads, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and also sprinkled with lemon juice. An interesting taste appears in jams and cocktails when Kiwano is added.
In addition to eating it raw, Horned Melon can be salted and canned. For this, young fruits are used, which when pickled have a much richer taste than cucumbers. Gourmets speak of them as a delicacy. But of course, Kiwano has the maximum benefit and best taste immediately after harvesting.
How to grow Horned Melon from seed?
Since many people like this fruit, the question arises about its cultivation. In order for a plant to grow from seeds, you need to do the work in several stages:
- Seed preparation. To do this, they are soaked in a growth stimulator. The seed material swells and this contributes to earlier emergence of seedlings.
- Planting in containers. They are filled with nutrient substrate and seeds are sown. After sowing, water. Keep for some time in a warm place.
- Choosing a place for seedlings to grow. Although the sun is hot in Africa, direct rays can cause burns on leaf blades. Therefore, only diffused sunlight is shown to the seedlings.
- Planting in open ground. After the last frost, the plants are transplanted into the soil. When transplanting, maintain a distance between rows of 50 centimeters.
Particular attention is paid to the place where the crop will grow: it must be protected from both winds and the scorching sun. If you do not adhere to this recommendation, you may not get fruit, because burns will occur on the leaves and the ovaries will fall off.
Plant care
Caring for this exotic crop involves performing certain operations in a timely manner. This includes weeding and loosening, watering, fertilizing, pinching, tying, and collecting Kiwano.
You need to loosen and remove weeds as a crust appears on the surface of the soil and the grass grows.
Water up to 3 times a week, as this plant is moisture-loving. It also responds well to fertilizing. They are carried out regularly. To prepare the solution, use mullein, chicken manure or other nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Such fertilizing alternates with mineral fertilizers - complex fertilizers are ideal for this. Foliar spraying also gives good results.
The next step is to pinch the side branches onto the ovary, and the barren flower is completely removed. The plants must be tied up, as they are vines. To do this, it is enough to make a wooden stand for them and fix the shoots of this crop to it.
The ovaries are removed after a day or two. Regular harvesting will encourage the plant to grow new fruits. When the fruiting season is over, it is advisable to compost the Kiwano.
Today anyone can grow Horned Melon. With proper care, this plant can produce an excellent harvest. Kiwano will delight people with its decorative appearance and delicious fruits. Also, these fruits will not only replenish the deficiency of nutrients, but also improve a person’s well-being in case of many diseases.
