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Sun, Jul 18, 04 at 15:33
| Hi:
I ordered seeds for an interesting vine, now I can't remember the name of it. I think it's Indian, and it has the teeniest little fruits on it that look like little watermelons on the exterior, and inside resemble cucumbers. The are about an inch long and same circumfrance. It's a very vigourous vine with maple leaf shaped leaves and thin, twining stems. I remeber reading you can eat them, somehow. Maybe only pickled? GGG |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Glynis, I believe I had the same vine. They are like mini watermelons but the skin turns yellow...the inside has many seeds like the cucumber. They stay small about an inch long like you said. They tast sour but not as sour as a lemon but definately not sweet. I finally pulled it up...don't know the name of this plant. Betsy |
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- Posted by girlgroupgirl 8 Atlanta (My Page) on Sun, Jul 18, 04 at 22:09
| Thanks Betsy: It's like Barbie doll watermelons, isn't it? Well, that's what the little girl next door and I have been using them for!! Thanks for letting me know they turn yellow, I'll keep the yellowing fruits picked off of them. I guess they are sort of like pickles without needing to be pickled? I'm sure the vine name started with an "M". GGG |
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- Posted by paperwhite z10 AZ (My Page) on Mon, Jul 19, 04 at 14:32
| All, It is called 'Ivy Gourd' and in Hindi it is called 'Tindora'. I have been looking for seeds for quite a while now, can you please tell me the source. They taste very good it they are stir fried. Thanks in advance |
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| Yes, paperwhite said it correctly.It is very common vegetable in Indian subcontinent.It is known as "Tindora "as well as "Ivy Gourd".It is suated and stir fried too. Growing from seeds is very difficult and will take long time for flowering and fruiting.It is easy to propagate from cuttings, thick roots and from matured bulbs if available.Tindoras are very sensitive to frost.Even very short exposure will kill the plant.I usually plant them outside after Mother's day, pullout by end of september and store in warm place inside the house. chiman |
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- Posted by girlgroupgirl 8 Atlanta (My Page) on Mon, Jul 19, 04 at 23:52
| I grew the seeds easily, don't winter sow them (if you practice that method). I sowed them in really nice potting soil, with the tiniest covering, placed the containers on these aluminum drip pans I bought. They are thick metal and both absorb and reflect the heat so it's like a heat mat (although you might not need them in Arizona!!). Sow outside because as chiman rightly points out, they are hard to get going because they tend to dampen off. I put a little pearlite over the top of them. I have more seeds. Just email me your address. I'll save some matured fruits too and dry the seed so people can have them. I bought them from either JL Hudson or The Fragrant path. The fruit has been on for at least a month, so they should be ready for stir frying then. Guess what's for dinner tomorrow! In cooking in stir fry, since they were described as a bitter vegetable, I assume that you do not add in mustards or bitter greens etc. GGG |
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| I've gotten my plants from Log House Plants here on the west coast. They market it as a cucumber under the name ‘Mexican Sour Gherkin’ Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds now sells the seeds. Here's a link to their page |
Here is a link that might be useful: Mexican Sour Gherkin
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| Mexican Sour Gherkin is Melothria scabra. The fruit are edible raw or cooked. Tindora (or Ivy Gourd) is Coccinia grandis. It can be propagated by seeds but the fruit are bitter and only the leaves and young stems are edible. The Tindora which produces edible fruit is mainly propagated by cuttings or,like chiman said, by roots. |
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- Posted by Carolb_w_fl 9/10 coastal (My Page) on Sun, Aug 8, 04 at 21:21
| I just saw this @ Seed Savers & thought of this thread....
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Here is a link that might be useful: Mexican Sour Gherkin
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- Posted by Carolb_w_fl 9/10 coastal (My Page) on Mon, Aug 9, 04 at 10:21
| FWIW, here's a pic of Coccinia grandis from Google's image search:
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| Did you ever eat them girlgroupgirl? |
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