Hurrah, my cucurbit seedling survived ! A good memory in 2024 was to discover my mysterious seedling which withstand the vagaries of the weather and the procession of gastropods that make mincemeat of them. I was finally going to be able to enjoy cucumbers from my garden! And like “Perrette and her pot au lait”, the famous Lafontaine story, I was already dreaming of squash, cucumbers, gherkins and – why not – making jars of them. But – to my dismay – in July, its incredibly voluble vines, still bore no fruit. Finally, in August, I saw small greenish flowers appear in its magnificent foliage, clustered in the leaf axils and quickly transformed into fruit. Horn-shaped, with a few soft needles on the skin, they didn’t look at all like pickles. “This is a cyclenthere, aka achocha or pedata,” I was told.
What a strange name for this strange vegetable! An abandoned variety? No! It’s the Andean cucumber, native to Central and South America. Cyclanthers like to have their feet in the shade and their heads in the sun, but they’re very willing vegetables that flourish just about anywhere. Production is extremely abundant: a single plant is enough for an entire family. They are harvested right up to the first frosts. At that time, they are still covered with fruit, which is then lost. But it’s not for their fruit, that one cultivate them because they are so small to peel and not very tasty, but rather for their decorative vines, with cut leaves that gracefully and vigorously entwine everything. A godsend for the other vegetables in our gardens, always in search of shade and a nice discovery in 2024!