(C. melo) A delicious light green oval to cylindrical cucumber-melon that exhibits furrows and fuzz. Abundant vines produce 3-6 inch fruits which can be harvested often when grown either outdoors or in the greenhouse. 24 Seeds.
(C. melo) AKA: Half Long of Polignano. Very early cucumber with light green cylindrical fruit, with ridging firm flesh and few seeds. Flesh is savory, crisp yet tender, bitter-free and does not cause indigestion as other cucumbers can. Fruit is covered with soft fuzz that is easily brushed off for enjoying raw or as an addition to salads. Perfect for all climates but grows exceptionally well in warm-hot climates. From the Polignano region of southern Italy. Seed packet includes 24 seeds and growing instructions.
(C. melo) AKA: Medium Long of Barese. A very early cucumber with light green cylindrical fruit, with ridging firm flesh and few seeds. Flesh is savory, crisp yet tender, bitter-free and does not cause indigestion as other cucumbers can. Fruit is covered with soft fuzz that is easily brushed off for enjoying raw or as an addition to salads. Perfect for all climates but grows exceptionally well in warm-hot climates. From the Polignano region of southern Italy. Seed packet includes 24 seeds and growing instructions.
What is a Carosello Barese Cucumber?
Imagine you are an tomato gardener and find out a friend is growing tomatoes. You ask them what kind they are growing and they say “Red”. To which you ask them to be more descriptive. They reply “round”. You ask “Can you be a little more descriptive – like what type are they?” to which they reply, “I am growing red round tomatoes”.
Though this hypothetical narrative is very simple, so is the name of the Carosello Barese cucumber. There are dozens of unique carosello cucumber varieties, many of which originate from the area around Barese and also share the name “Barese”. While this particular carosello cucumber may very well originate from Bari, Italy – the variability of the variety as well as the traits that it shares with some other carosello varieties would lead some to believe that it is not a particularly unique carosello variety at all. The Carosello Barese can be incredibly variable not only from one seed supplier to another, but from one grower to another. But what exactly is a Carosello Barese? Generally speaking, a Carosello Barese cucumber is an Italian Cucumis melo (variety chate or Adzhur) that has an oval to cylindrical fruit with light colored exterior. The flesh of this thin-skinned cucumber is tender yet crisp, bitter-free and easy on the digestion. Currently, I know of two different variations of this one variety.
The first type of Carosello Barese is very similar in appearance to the Mezzo Lungo Barese, except that it is not as hairy as the Mezzo Lungo Barese is. The outer skin is light in color and has some furrows spreading from end to the other along the long portion of the fruit. Unlike the Mezzo Lungo Barese, which is much more crispy, the flavor is much more like the Scopattizo Barese. The flesh is a little more tender and slightly more juicy than the Mezzo Lungo (or Medium Long) of Barese.
The second type of Carosello Barese that I know of is much more similar to the Carosello Bianco Leccese or, what I commonly refer to as the Light Carosello Leccese. This variety has thin tender skin and is has a relatively smooth cylindrical surface. However, the last Carosello Barese that I grew was much more variable in shape and growth (some growing bushy, while others grew longer vines) than the Bianco Leccese.
If you grow anywhere where heat is a concern or would just to grow a delicious cucumber for a change, you may want to consider growing the Carosello Barese cucumber. While not always the most consistent variety, they are often superior to many other cucumbers in taste, texture and quality.
What is a Cucumber?
When someone says the word “cucumber” many different images can come to mind. Someone who lives in a remote village of one country may consider cucumbers to be completely different than someone who lives in a big city of another country. Even dictionaries have a different view of cucumbers. Merriam-Webster dictionary restricts the meaning of a cucumber to “the fruit of the vine (Cucumis sativus) of the gourd family cultivated as a garden vegetable” while the Oxford Dictionary describes cucumbers more broadly as “a long, green-skinned fruit with watery flesh, usually eaten raw in salads or pickled”
Though not everything that is considered a cucumber is from the species Cucumis sativus or even long, they all have some very common traits. They all grow on a vine and produce fruit in one season or less that is picked immature and eaten raw, in salads or pickled. The majority of what I would refer to as a cucumber are in the Cucumis genus and either Cucumis sativus or Cucumis melo. Not all C. sativus or melo varieties are palatable at their immature stage. Some at one stage or another are suitable for cooking. The Cucumis melo that are most suitable as cucumbers are those that have been bred to be picked immature as cucumbers and generally have a taste, texture and growth habit that ensure that the expression of their best traits occurs during the immature stage of fruit development.
In both growing, taste, texture and juiciness, the two species of cucumber can be different. Cucumis sativus, which originates in Asia, are generally more tolerant of moisture and cool nights, but are more easily stressed by excessive heat. The fruit is generally harder, stores better and exhibits a high water content but presents a bit of a sappy aftertaste, can turn bitter when the plant is stressed and, depending upon the variety, can cause indigestion.
Cucumis melo, which comes from Africa, may struggle with cool wet conditions, but thrives in the heat. Fruits of this kind are not bred for sweetness, but rather for their immature fresh-eating qualities. Instead of becoming bitter when the vine is stressed, the fruit may develop faster, may be smaller or may have smaller seeds. The cucumbers from these plants are generally crisp, yet tender, bitter-free and gentle on the stomach. They slowly transpire water, have a moderate water content and often impart a rich, almost complex flavor with a slightly sweet aftertaste.
So – what is a cucumber? A cucumber is a fruit picked from a vine that is eaten fresh or used to pickle or cook that is generally considered juicy, crisp and delicious.
