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2025 – 2026 Newsletter – The Cucumber

Cucumberer: Noun. A made-up name for a person who enjoys growing or consuming an abundance of cucumbers.

At last! – Here are our New Varieties for 2025-2026:

New Varieties: While I occasionally grow out a very common variety for the first time, most of the new varieties that I offer take months, if not years, to acquire.

-Jordanian Facoose: This cultivar is new to us. I grew it a little last year. The seeds were entrusted to me by a Jordanian immigrant who I work with. While they make fine slicing cucumbers at about 2 inches in diameter, my friend said that this particular variety is sold in the marketplace when the fruit is very small for making pickles. You can order them here.

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-Beit Sahour Faqous: This is one of two populations of Faqous from the Beit Sahour area provided to me by a Palestinian immigrant currently residing in Southern California. I am planning to grow out the other population next year. Whichever variety produces more consistent high-quality fruit will likely be the variety I continue to offer as the Beit Sahour Faqous in the future. You can order them here.

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Tar Kakdi: This is one of the coolest and most difficult varieties I have ever grown. It has taken years for me to begin to understand how to save a small quantity of seed and it will likely take many more years before I can grow the seed to a higher quality, due to how extremely susceptible the vines are to Fusarium Wilt and Powdery Mildew. I am just happy to have been able to grow enough to offer. With this being said, know that the population was selected from a handful of populations from this Indian Snake melon. This population exhibited the longest fruit and the most beautiful flowers. Because I have grown four generations of the population in the United States, they have become slightly easier to grow over that time. With all that being said, because I would like my customers to have a good experience, please don’t purchase this if you life in a cool wet climate or you don’t receive sufficient sun. There are much easier and fun varieties that I offer. You can order them here.

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-Dragon Egg: Tasty, easy to grow and productive. I grew this variety at the homestead of a family friend in the Suisun Valley area. Given all of its qualities, what is not to like about the Dragon Egg Cucumber? You can order some Dragon Egg cucumbers here.

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Pepininho do Mato: Yet another pseudo-gherkin from the new world – this time from Brazil. Despite a similar growth pattern as other Melothria species (slow to start and taking over later on) this wild variety has a number of interesting traits that set it apart from the other Melothria species. The tapered shape that helps to shed water, the fruity smell (reminiscent of banana) that attracts exotic birds and the tropical flavor of the softening fruit are all unique characteristics that the grower can look forward to when cultivating this unique cucumber. It is available here.

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Previously Offered, but grown fresh this year: While I occasionally purchase seed from other growers, it is something that is an exception, rather than a rule. I have very high standards for vigor and germination that are very rarely met by any seed company that sells in bulk.

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Palesinian Fakous: Yes – I have changed the spelling of the Arabic Faqous/Facoose variety – primarily due to releasing two other cultivars with a similar name. And the Beit Sahour Faqous was named long before I acquired my seed of the general Palestinian variety. While not advertised, I do give a large portion of the sales of my Palestinian varieties to a Palestinian seed organization. You can order them here.

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Carosello Barese: Fun and easy to grow, this is one of my very favorite early season caroselli. You can order the Carosello Barese here.

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-Green Finger Cucumber: This is my first time growing this variety myself. While not extremely productive, it has a lot of parthenocarpic tendencies and is my all-time favorite tasting Cucumis sativus cucumber. You can pick some up here.

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Poona Kheera: I was running out of this Indian variety and it was the first time I grew it out this year. True to Indian varieties, it can be picked early, mid-season or late, depending upon on soon the grower wants to eat or store it. You can pick some up here.

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Russian Pickling: While this is a decent variety, I have to admit that I grew this primarily for the customers who came clamoring to my shop last year to buy me out of the variety. Interested in trying them out? Try them out here.

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English Telegraph (fail). This is my very last time trying out this variety. Of all the seed companies that I contacted concerning this variety, very few of them said that they personally grew it – and those that did said that they were discontinuing it. Compared with Green Finger, which one grower complained to me about being a poor producer, English Telegraph is abysmal. Instead of harvesting pounds of seed in a small plot, the grower would be fortunate to harvest several grams per acre. Perhaps the poor seed set has something to do with warmer summer temperatures, but unless someone can change the genetics to encourage greater seed set, there seems to be very little future for this once-famous heritage cucumber variety.

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This year’s season:

Similar to saying from the rooster Alan-A-Dale (Disney’s animated Robin Hood) every season “has its ups and downs – sometimes the ups outnumber the downs” but not for me this year. While I love to garden, this year was a whole lot of work, leaving me unsure about what my future gardening will look like and where I will be welcome to grow next season.

Lets start with the positive:

I was able to grow out in a new garden area with multiple small plots. This garden has a lot of potential, as long as I don’t get stung by aggressive ground hornets – which led me to be trying to avoid getting stung working on the garden at night.

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I was able to set up a couple grape harvest bins in a lady’s front yard. Let’s hope I can grow again there next year.

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Now the okay:

I was able to grow on a property of a family friend in Suisun Valley, where I grew on the year before. There were some logistical challenges that came up in some miscommunication, but the harvest was relatively good this year. Hopefully I will be able to grow here again.

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While I was able to grow in another garden in the Suisun Valley area, the space was only for this year and, after a whole lot of work fighting off bindweed, I managed to harvest a couple grams of English Telegraph. We’ll see what comes of this plot for next year, but I have not been invited back.

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I was told that one of my growers moved from their plot and I needed to move the garden. Fortunately, their son moved into the property, so I just needed to move the grape harvest bin to the front of the property. Hopefully, I can continue to grow there in the future.

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Finally the difficult:

Losing the Fertile Garden: While I was able to grow in the fertile garden, the owner said that he is likely moving away next year, so I will probably not be able to grow there again. This is the garden where I have grown the longest and is the only garden that has been consistently productive for me.

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Losing the Raised Bed Garden: This is my second-best plot that I lost this year. Within the space of a week I had to move several yards of heavy moist soil off of the property and on to my own. This kind of labor-intensive back-breaking work takes a lot of the joy out of gardening.

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My Pepininho do Mato (Melothria cucumis) still growing in my Northern California garden (9b)

Take-aways: This year was difficult. There were challenges in nearly every garden at least some time in the season and the seed processing took months of work to complete. From now on, I am planning on only paying owners for the seed I grow on their property. I have slowly been moving away from soaker hoses to drip, though making a whole lot of major mistakes in the process. Overall, I am grateful for another season.

My shop area in the middle of seed processing.

Thank you again for supporting us at Cucumber Shop. We hope to offer you unique heirloom seeds for many years to come.

-Jay

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2024-2025 Newsletter – The Cucumberer

Cucumberer: Noun. A made-up name for a person who enjoys growing or consuming an abundance of cucumbers.

At last! – Here are our New Varieties for 2024-2025:

Cuccummaru de San Donato: (C. melo) An incredible round early mildly sweet productive cucumber-melon with light green skin with spots of dark. Fruit skin is crisp with a white interior revealing a savory tender flesh that does not cause indigestion as other cucumbers can. While this Italian cucumber-melon begins bushy, it continues to growing and produce for a long harvest. Heat loving vines produce hermaphrodite female flowers that are parthenocarpic – setting fruit without pollination. Though there was previously some bitterness, we worked for several years to ensure that the population is bitter-free.

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Meloncella di Martina Franca: (C. melo) An incredible round early mildly sweet productive cucumber-melon with light green skin with spots of dark. Fruit skin is crisp with a white interior revealing a savory tender flesh that is bitter-free and does not cause indigestion as other cucumbers can. While this Italian cucumber-melon begins bushy, it continues to growing and produce for a long harvest. Heat loving vines produce hermaphrodite female flowers that are parthenocarpic – setting fruit without pollination.

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Scopattizo di San Luigi: (Limited Availability – see our offer at the end) (C. melo var adzur) A round carosello variety that is very similar to the Barattiere. A favorite of native Italians, this fine-textured variety is productive and delicious. While they can be trellised, they do best when provided space to sprawl. From Fabio Pellegrini. It took me three years of work to get the seed to nearly marketable germination. Seed packet includes 24 seeds and growing instructions.

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Cretan Greek Cucumbermelon: (Limited Availability – see our offer at the end) (C. melo var adzur) A light green cucumbermelon with consistently scalloped cylindrical fruit. Early setting vines deliver a productive crop of cucumbers with high quality flesh when picked around 1.5-2 inches in diameter. Seed packet includes 24 seeds and growing instructions.

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Timun Krai: (C. melo var conomon) Ideal for hot humid climates, this Indonesian variety produces elongated striped cucumbers. The fruit is crisp, yet slightly tender and tasty. While Asian pickling melons usually produces bitter fruit, this one rarely does. Seed packet includes 24 seeds and growing instructions.

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Conqueror English Cucumber: (Limited Availability – see our offer at the end) (C. sativus) A very long English-type cucumber with parthenocarpic fruit that sets without pollination. Fruit can become bitter in hot dry climates, so probably best for cooler climates. Seed packet includes 24 seeds and growing instructions.

> Quick Reminder – we are Reopening November 29th <

Here is what we have Regrown to be back in stock:

Palestinian Faqous

Carosello Tondo Barese

And in 2024 we grew Fresh Seed of the following:

Ayra

Tondo Manduria

Carosello Spuredda Scuro Leccese

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Lastly, here are a few varieties we tried, but had Problems with producing seed or germinating:

-Ethiopian Gherkin, Zambian Gherkin and the English Telegraph – Will be offering an English Telegraph substitute instead or try the Conqueror.

Growers Corner (Meet This Year’s Growers)

A couple of individuals grew for us this year. Though both of them are a little shy when it comes to their picture being taken, each provided a description of themself as a grower and a picture of the cucumber variety being grown for seed.

Nathaniel Z. is from the Capital Region in New York and is working to grow in high tunnel greenhouses. He was able to grow out some Spuredda Scuro Leccese for me this year.

Christy H. has been working on growing vegetables at the Farm Stand at Otow Orchard since 2005. She enjoys utilizing organic methods and growing tomatoes and squash, even though the orchard is not a certified organic.

Here are some Associated Videos and Content:

Here you will find dozens of YouTube videos from this year highlighting nearly each of this year’s cucumber varieties along with a few that contain primarily educational content. So feel free to binge watch cucumber videos and subscribe to Cucumber Shop’s YouTube Page.

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Podcast: Here’s a podcast from talking with Diego of the Farm Small Farm Small Podcast about what it takes to start and run a small seed business. We should be putting out more podcasts over the next few months, including some on individual cucumber varieties. If you want to listen in, here are a couple of ways to hear this podcast.

https://podcasts.apple.com/…/farm-small…/id1271270819

Other Cucumber Happenings:

Penn State Market Trial: Dr. Francesco Di Gioia of Penn State reached out to Cucumber Shop and performed a Market Trials for farmers, chefs and small growers to determine the marketability of carosello cucumber varieties around State College and the surrounding area.

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Oregon State University Dry Cropping Trial: Lucas Nebert of Oregon State University’s (OSU) Dry Farming Project trialed a handful of our immature melon varieties that are grown as cucumbers.

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On August 6th, Jay from Cucumber Shop presented about “Confronting Climate Concerns With Indigenous Heritage Cucurbit Varieties” at the 2024 Seed Saver’s Exchange “Growing Together: Sharing Seed, Stories and Skills” conference.

Cucumber Shop was at the Culinary Breeding Network’s Vegetable Variety Showcase back on September 8th: Thanks to the kindness of Lucas Nebert of OSU’s Dry Farming Project for growing out fruit to share with everyone there. Lucas was so patient with my boundless enthusiasm.

Jay and Lucas Nebert

New Artwork:

Here are a couple carosello cucumber varieties as produced by Yessica Leano, who created these for Cucumber Shop:

An interpretive representation of the Striped Carosello Leccese

The Tondo Manduria

2024-2025 Newsletter Offer

Finally, I would like to thank you for your support of our little Cucumber Shop and for signing up for this yearly newsletter. While I would love to offer lower prices, Cucumber Shop requires a regular income to be able to pay for everything needed to keep the business going. But we can offer you access. On January 20th, we will offer seed of those varieties that we have very limited supplies of, including the following:

-Regular Dark Armenian Cucumber

-Cretan Cucumbermelon (Currently available in limited quantity)

-Scopattizo di San Luigi (Worked for 3 years to release this delicious variety)

-Conqueror Cucumber (An extremely productive English Greenhouse variety, similar to English Telegraph)

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The Cucummaru de San Donato

What is the Cucummaru de San Donato?

The Cucummaru de San Donato is a light cylindrical melon (Cucumis melo) picked immature as a cucumber with variable color – though its classic color light green with dark green splotched stripes. Gentle on the digestion, this slightly fuzzy variety was once highly sought after in and around San Donato di Leccese. While my population was not bitter, bitterness can sometimes occur. It is generally considered a beautiful cucumber-melon that was cultivated in the countryside of San Donato di Lecce, a municipality located in the Valle della Cupa.

When were the Cucummaru de San Donato grown and harvested?

The most recent strain of this variety was stewarded many years by a gentleman name Mario Paglialonga. In keeping with local tradition, Mario would generally sow seeds in early March for transplanting around April. The harvest then began around Mid-May, which is much earlier than other meloncellas or immature melons.

What is the historical background of the Cucummaru de San Donato?

According to Mario, the San Donato and various squash were once cultivated by the whole community. When the fruit was ready to pick, farmers would go around the countryside around 3 a.m. to bring the harvest to the town square by the first light of dawn. Each morning, an impromptu market was held that attracted buyers from all over the province including Leccese, Brindisi, Bari and from the other neighboring areas. This morning routine would make San Donato di Leccese come to life with wagons, motorbikes, bicycles and people talking. Within two hours it was over. With the harvest sold, farmers returned to their labors.

In addition to the morning markets, there was a large fair held each year in May, with the Cucummaru as the primary focus. While the community of San Donato di Lecce was known for producing large quantities of the Cucummaru the fruit up until the 1950s, the immature melons themselves continued to be important to the local economy up until the 1970s. San Donato di Leccese is located in an area called the “Valle della Cupa”, in a slight depression of an alluvial basin of karst origin in the province of Lecce.

What is the controversy concerning the Cucummaru de San Donato?

More recently, in July of 2016, the Leccese News reported that the residents of San Donato were quite upset about something having to do with the term “Cucummaru”. Apparently, a local tour guide book referred to the citizens themselves as “Cucummari”. While San Donato was historically known for cultivating this immature melon, peasants from neighboring towns would slander the residents of San Donato by calling them “cucummari”, meaning “cucumbers” in the local dialect. In Italian, calling someone a large cucumber is a term associated with being gullible, naïve or stupid, so the derogatory term in the guide book understandably offended the community. Outraged, San Donato di Leccese’s mayor demanded that the publication be withdrawn. In addition to publicizing the issue on social media, the residents urged the administration to take legal action to protect the city’s image.

What has Cucumber Shop done since receiving the Cucummaru de San Donato?

After receiving this historically significant variety from a good friend, Cucumber Shop grew this immature melon out three separate seasons, with the third being the summer of 2024. My initial hopes of the variety having a consistent beautiful color and wonderful flavor were upended when I discovered that the color was variable and a portion of the vines produce bitter fruit. For perspective, bitterness in regular cucumbers is generally considered inconvenient when compared with the bitterness exhibited by melons, which can best described as bracingly unpalatable. Knowing that bitterness in melons is primarily genetic, we diligently selected out the bitterness from the population over successive generations and hope that all fruit grown from our current seed remains bitter-free.

Blog Posts and YouTube Videos:

Blog Posts:

I first planted in 2020 and blogged about it later.

Then I grew the San Donato again in 2022 in a College Garden Plot.

And here is a report of my 2024 Planting.

Here are my videos about the San Donato:

Sources:

Sources:

https://biodiversitapuglia.it/lagorosso-custode-del-cucummaro-san-donato/

https://biodiversitapuglia.it/il-cucummaru-di-san-donato-nellelenco-nazionale-dei-pat/

https://biodiversitapuglia.it/varieta-orticole/cucummaru-de-san-donato/

https://biodiversitapuglia.it/cocomero-san-donato-lecce/

https://biodiversitapuglia.it/un-evento-incorniciare-san-donato-lecce/

https://www.leccenews24.it/attualita/gli-abitanti-di-san-donato-soprannominati-cucummari-su-una-guida-turistica-insorge-il-sindaco-falso-ritirate-la-pubblicazione.htm

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The Striped Carosello Leccese or Meloncella Fasciata di Salento

What is the Striped Carosello Leccese?

The Striped Carosello Leccese or Meloncella Fasciata di Salento is an ancient variety of melon, cultivated immature as a cucumber and still grown around Gallipoli, Italy. Variations in vine and fruit length ensure long harvests of 4-6 inch cylindrical fruit with light flesh develops mottled dark bands exhibiting superb juicy crisp texture and flavor with a sweet aftertaste.

How do you save seed of the Striped Carosello Leccese or Meloncella?

As they ripen for seed, Striped Leccese or Meloncella cucumbers will begin to turn yellow or orange in color and may even begin to soften. If they begin to soften or easily pull from the vine (slip), then bring the fruit into a cool place to store until processing. Avoid trying to rush the process or cut open the fruit too early. There is a period of time in which the seed continues to develop within the fruit. The fruit is getting ready to process when there is a strong scent of melon in the air. Throughout the process, germination will remain high as you keep the area that the seed is stored in relatively cool (close to 70F, 21C is fine, 80F, 26C or above is not). Once large fruit is relatively soft when pressed on, slit them open length-wise and scoop out the seedy inner pulp into a colander with holes slightly smaller than the seed. If a good rinse and pulp massage does not clean the pulp out, the water can be squeezed out and water winnowing and a whisk can help clean the pulp. If seed still has a gel coating, squeeze out excess liquid and scoop the pulp/seed mixture into a jar to ferment. Usually 24 hours is as long as needed to ferment, if at all. Rinsed clean seed should be placed in a cool location with plenty of airflow to dry. Once seed is fully dry, winnow out very light seed, pack in airtight bags and refrigerate

How do you know the Striped Leccese or Meloncella is ready to pick?

Of all the varieties I have ever grown, when picked between 1.5 and 2” in diameter, no cucumber or immature melon variety I have tasted has been equal in flavor, texture and overall quality. This is truly the most “gourmet” of all the cucumbers. The very first time I tasted the fruit, I was blown away by the flavor and quality. Likely for the same reason, the Meloncella di Salento is the crown jewel of the varieties sold by the San Rocco Cooperative- the primary cooperative that markets these immature melons outside of the region of Puglia.

How did Cucumber Shop receive the Striped Leccese or Meloncella Fasciata?

The Striped Carosello Leccese or Meloncella Faciata di Salento was sold to me by the name of “Striped of Leccese” from a gentleman named Antonio. There were also other websites that named the variety “Striped of Leccese”. At first I didn’t believe that he had actually sold me what he claimed to have, but once the fruit darkened, I knew that it was what I had spent years searching for. Antonio said that the variety has been cultivated before records were kept in the lower Salento area is still grown in and around Gallipoli, Italy. He could provide no further information.

The BiodiverSO Puglia Website has some information about the variety under “Melone immaturo” here: https://biodiversitapuglia.it/varieta-orticole/

Where can I find posts or Videos about the Striped Leccese and Meloncella?

Blog posts can be found at ScientificGardener.com and Videos can be found at https://www.youtube.com/c/CucumberShop

Here are some Blog Posts I have done about the Striped Carosello Leccese or Meloncella Fasciata di Salento:

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-striped-carosello-leccese.html

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2019/12/taste-comparison-of-striped-carosello.html

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-striped-carosello-leccese-part-2.html

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-second-crop-of-striped-carosello.html

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2022/03/working-with-farmer.html

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2022/05/i-just-keep-growing-striped-carosello.html

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2023/05/striped-carosello-leccese-at-h-farms.html

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2023/05/working-to-partner-with-farmer-in-rio.html

Videos of the Striped Leccese or Meloncella Fasciata di Salento:

https://youtu.be/cH1R_TA5DWk

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The Checkered Carosello Scopattizo or “Chex”

What is the Checkered Carosello Scopattizo?

The Checkered Carosello Scopattizo or “Chex” is an muskmelon (Cucumis melo) that is picked immature as a cucumber. It is a beautiful checkered selection of the Scopattizo Barese with smooth-skinned cylindrical fruit with lateral scallops and moderately juicy flesh. The fruit is picked when around 2 inches in diameter.

What is the difference between the Checkered Carosello Scopattizo and the Scopattizo Barese?

Though the Checkered Scopattizo (Nicknamed “Chex”) looks similar to the Carosello Scopattizo di Barese and is a selection of the variety, the Scopattizo Barese possesses a uniform half light and dark cylindrical fruit with lateral scallops. While both produce fruit on secondary and tertiary vines and darken to cover the fruit over time, the checkered ‘Scopattizo’ variety exhibits a half light/dark coloring in a checkered pattern.

How did the Checkered Carosello Scopattizo come about?

The initial seed for this cultivar was planted from a packet of SeedSelect Spuredda Leccese that contained a mix of seeds of nearly anything but the pictured fruit. When growing the Checkered Scopattizo the first time, I noticed that the fruit was very tender and just slightly checkered. A leak in the drip irrigation was soaking the roots and the plant nearly died. But fortunately, it survived long enough for the plant to give its nourishment to one fruit that I was able to harvest for seed.

The Checkered Scopattizo Carosello released by Cucumber Shop created a little bit of controversy possibly because it was not selected in Italy – though it was selected from what would be considered a Scopattizo Barese.

How do I save seeds of the Checkered Scopattizo or “Chex”?

As they they ripen for seed, Checkered Scopattizo cucumber-melons will begin to turn yellow or orange in color and may even begin to soften. If they begin to soften or easily pull from the vine (slip), then bring the fruit into a cool place to store until processing. Avoid trying to rush the process or cut open the fruit too early. There is a period of time in which the seed continues to develop within the fruit. The fruit is getting ready to process when there is a strong scent of melon in the air. Throughout the process, germination will remain high as you keep the area that the seed is stored in relatively cool (close to 70F, 21C is fine, 80F, 26C or above is not). Once large fruit is relatively soft when pressed on, slit them open length-wise and scoop out the seedy inner pulp into a colander with holes slightly smaller than the seed. If a good rinse and pulp massage does not clean the pulp out, the water can be squeezed out and water winnowing and a whisk can help clean the pulp. If seed still has a gel coating, squeeze out excess liquid and scoop the pulp/seed mixture into a jar to ferment. Usually 24 hours is as long as needed to ferment, if at all. Rinsed clean seed should be placed in a cool location with plenty of airflow to dry. Once seed is fully dry, winnow out very light seed, pack in airtight bags and refrigerate.

Where can I find more information about the Checkered Carosello Scopattizo?

More of the history of the variety can be found on my blog in the following two blog posts:

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-checkered-scopattizo-carosello.html and

https://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2023/09/in-defense-of-name.html

Videos

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The Carosello Scopattizo Barese

What is a Carosello Scopattizo Barese?

The Carosello Scopattizo di Barese is a productive uniform emerald green cylindrical fruit with lateral scallops. The fruit has light smooth skin with dark pores that grow on secondary and tertiary vines. When ready to be picked at 2 inches in diameter, the fruit will be between light and dark. They generally grow best in hot dry climates, but can do well in moist climates, if trellised. Though it has been around for a long time, there is no conclusive idea of what the word Scopattizo actually means, other than a specific variety of muskmelon picked immature, like a cucumber. But there may be clues based on the root words. The ancient Greek for ‘scopo’ is σκοπέω (skopéō, means to “look (out) for” probe or search. It may be that, because the fruit is dark green and produces further along on the vines, that growers had to ‘look out’ for it to find it. My friend Giuseppe said that word “Scopatizzo” may come from the base “Scopa”, meaning to sweep, because of its fuzz – though compared with other carosello, the Scopattizo has minimal fuzz.

Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scopo

When do you pick the Carosello Scopattizo Barese?

The Scopattizo Barese is an Italian heirloom with very fine-texture when around 2 inches in diameter. The fruit begins light and turns dark over time as the dots of dark color expand outward from the pores to the remainder of the outside of the fruit. When ready for picking, the color of this variety should be midway between fully light and dark.

How do you save seeds of the Scopattizo Barese?

As they ripen for seed, Scopattizo Barese cucumbers will begin to turn white, yellow or orange in color and may even begin to soften. If they begin to soften or easily pull from the vine (slip), then bring the fruit into a cool place to store until processing. Avoid trying to rush the process or cut open the fruit too early. There is a period of time in which the seed continues to develop within the fruit. The fruit is getting ready to process when there is a strong scent of melon in the air. Throughout the process, germination will remain high as you keep the area that the seed is stored in relatively cool (close to 70F, 21C is fine, 80F, 26C or above is not). Once large fruit is relatively soft when pressed on, slit them open length-wise and scoop out the seedy inner pulp into a colander with holes slightly smaller than the seed. If a good rinse and pulp massage does not clean the pulp out, the water can be squeezed out and water winnowing and a whisk can help clean the pulp. If seed still has a gel coating, squeeze out excess liquid and scoop the pulp/seed mixture into a jar to ferment. Usually 24 hours is as long as needed to ferment, if at all. Rinsed clean seed should be placed in a cool location with plenty of airflow to dry. Once seed is fully dry, winnow out very light seed, pack in airtight bags and refrigerate.

What Selection Criteria does CucumberShop Use to select the ideal Scopattizo Barese?

The selection criteria important for selecting the Scopattizo Barese include plant vigor and health, color between light and dark at 2” in diameter, tender texture at 2-3” in diameter and cylindrical shape. The best fruit used for future generations must adhere to all of these characteristics.

Blog Posts and Videos:

Here are a couple of the blog Posts I have done of the Scopattizo Barese:

Hanging With the Chickens

The Scopattizo Barese

And here is one video I have made so far that includes the Scopattizo Barese:

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The Barattiere

What is a Barattiere Cucumber?

The Barattiere is a Cucumis melo (muskmelon) that is grown as a cucumber for its savory tender, yet crisp white flesh and smooth crisp light green skin. Unlike regular cucumbers, this oval to round melon cucumber is bitter-free and gentle on the indigestion. The sprawling vines of the Barattiere are drought-tolerant and thrive in warm to very hot climates.

The flesh of the Barattiere remains tender for an extended period of time so that the fruit can be picked when between 3 and 6 inches (7-15 cm) in diameter. While often considered a carosello (an Italian melon picked immature as a cucumber) the Barattiere’s genetic heritage appears to be different than other caroselli (plural for carosello).

What is the background history of the Barattiere Cucumber?

Considered the best carosello by most who have tried it, the Barattiere or Fasano owes its name to the first grower, Leonardo Pinto, nicknamed “Barattiere”. While the nickname means “barter” in Italian, Leonardo never bartered the seeds of the immature melon variety that he originally received from a monk friend of his in the late 1940s. Instead, Pinto freely shared the “cucumarazz d ‘ barettier” with any who asked. In the plain of Fasano in Ostuni, where the Barattiere originates, the fruit is often referred to as “cucumarazz” after the word “watermelon” in the Coriscan language – perhaps because the shape is reminiscent of a watermelon. As Pinto’s “cucumarazz” were considered the most delicious of all the cucumbers in the area, all the local farmers requested it from him. Other names for varieties related to the Barattiere include “Fasano” “Cianciuffo” or even “the rouge”. While some believe this last nickname may have had something to do with Leonardo Pinto, those who knew him describe him as “the classic example of a country man, generous and available”.

As time progressed, farmers learned that the barattiere vines grown near the sea using brackish irrigation water would produce fruit that was more tender, fragrant and delicious. From August through October, the barattiere are still grown in Monopoli, Carovigno and Fasano. On the hills above Fasano they grow them in fields without irrigation, so the roots seek refreshment in the strips of soil that form between one rock and another. Even as the autumn sets in, the fruit retains its quality and those grown in July are distinguished from those grown from August through October by the lighter color of the latter.

Source Material:

Amici dell’orto (Friends of the Garden) blog post. “Caroselli” http://amicidellortodue.blogspot.com/2009/07/caroselli.html

Barattiere Wikipedia Page

La Provincia Cremona. “The Barattiere (or immature Melon)… a mysterious fruit” https://www.laprovinciacr.it/news/a-tavola/170397/il-barattiere-o-melone-immaturo-un-frutto-misterioso.html

OsservatOriOoggi.it. The History of Leonardo Pinto and His Melons. “Give a ‘barattiere’ to the thirsty” http://www.osservatoriooggi.it/mensile/ieri/12858-date-un-%E2%80%98barattiere%E2%80%99-agli-assetati

Plants. An MDPI open access journal. “Barattiere: An Italian Local Variety of Cucumis melo L. with Quality Traits between Melon and Cucumber” https://123dok.org/document/9ynl17kq-barattiere-italian-local-variety-cucumis-quality-traits-cucumber.html

Scientific Gardener Blog Posts:

The Fasano and Barattiere Grow-out (Release: July 19, 2024)

YouTube videos about the Barattiere:

Barattiere in Campo (By BioDiverSO and Eco-Logica Srl)

Cucumber Melon (Cucumis melo var flexuosus) Carosello Barratiere

Planting the Fasano and Barattiere in Suisun Valley, CA

First Look at the Barattiere

Barattiere and Fasano

Cetrioli pugliesi o barattiere o casorelli o Meloncelli

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The Facussa

What is a Facussa?

The Facussa is a light slender tortarello-type snake melon exhibiting bands of dark splotching that still grown in and around the town of Carloforte on the Island of San Pietro in Sardinia, Italy. This Cucumis melo variety flexuous was brought from Tunisia by indigenous sailors. The heat-loving vines that produce a continuous harvest of long beautiful fruit that are consumed like cucumbers.

How did the Facussa get to Sardinia?

Sometime after 1500, after Italian sailors had colonized the islands around Sardinia, they brought over a group of Tunisians from Africa. Along with other things, these Tunisians brought with them seeds of a long somewhat striped cucumber that they called “Faguss” or “Faquss”, which in Arabic roughly translates to “cucumber”.

While the cucumber was favored by the inhabitants of its new home, the Tunisians were unfortunately not. Over time there was conflict between the Sardinians and the Tunisians, which resulted in the latter being sent back to their African homeland. Though the Tunisian inhabitants were returned back to their homeland, what was not sent back to Tunisia was their cucumber. Now in the hands of the Italians, the name of this snake melon was Italianized to “Facussa”. The main town on San Pietro Island, Carloforte, offers this variety in its markets from June through late August.

How do I grow the Facussa?

After sourcing high quality seed and preparing the beds, prepare the seed for planting by pre-sprouting. Germinating the seed prior to planting can often save time, but be careful when handling seedlings as melons and cucumber have very delicate roots that are easily damaged and root shock will stunt plant growth. Plant seeds or seedlings in the soil when there is no longer any danger of frost.

As melons, the Facussa prefers full sun and plenty of above-ground heat and enjoy soils rich soils that drain well. When preparing the garden beds, keep in mind that the Fucussa vines are sensitive to overly wet roots, so should be grown in raised areas or hills in areas where the climate is cool and summer precipitation is abundant. While in dry hot climates, this cucumber-melon can be grown on level ground or in slightly lowered gardens.

The Facussa produces sprawling vines that require some dedicated space. The length of the fruit ranges from merely 6 inches (15cm) to several feet (over 1 meter) and each vine can easily cover 6 square feet (about 2 meters). Vines with smaller fruit will set cucumbers earlier while vines with longer fruit tend to set fruit later. The fruit of the Facussa is at prime fresh eating quality when 1.5 – 2 inches (4 – 5cm) in diameter at the widest (not longest) point. Similar to harvesting zucchini or a summer squash, pick early and often for a reliably high-quality crop of appealing cucumbers.

As the summer heat sets in, these heat-loving vines will produce fruit at an accelerated rate. Shade cloth is both unnecessary and unneeded. Though the longer vines can last longer into the season, in areas with a long warm season, planting every 4-6 weeks will ensure consistent harvests of fresh high-quality fruit.

How do I save seed from my Facussa?

For seed saving, ensure that the Facussa is grown far from any other muskmelon, Armenian cucumber or any other type of Cucumis melo – regardless of the type. Allow the best fruit to ripen and grow large on the vine. Pick when the fruit changes color, begins to smell sweet, slips from the vine, begins to decay or a combination of any one of these factors. Once harvested, store fruit in a cool dry climate until harvesting seeds.

To harvest seeds, cut the fruit length-wise over a colander and scoop seeds out so they drop into the colander. Remove large pieces of inner membrane pulp from the seeds and knead any remaining seed/pulp to loosen the pulp. Rinse and repeat. If any gel membrane remains on the seeds, squeeze out as much liquid from the pulp mixture and set it aside in a jar to ferment for 12-24 hours, then empty into a colander and repeat kneading the pulp and rinsing out the seed. If needed, water winnow. When water winnowing, not all viable seed will always sink to the bottom of the container. Depending on the harvest, a large portion of the healthy viable seed will float near the top of the water. When seed is clean and rinsed, set it in a cool dry place. Once completely dry, dry winnow the seed to remove any light seed. Test seed germination, Label the container with the variety name and date, and store the processed seed in a cool dry place.

Source Information

For More Information about the Facussa, see:

Facussa Wikipedia Page (The picture was provided courtesy of Cucumber Shop) https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facussa

Gordon Ramsay’s recipe for a Tunisian caponata, with the Facussa as a main ingredient: https://gordon-ramsay-recipe.com/tag/carloforte

History of the Facussa in Carloforte: https://www-ilgiornaledelcibo-it.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.ilgiornaledelcibo.it/facussa/amp/?amp_js_v=a3&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#aoh=15962440495426&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ilgiornaledelcibo.it%2Ffacussa%2F

Scientific Gardener Blog Posts:

The Facussa

The Facussa in the Chicken Garden

YouTube videos about the Facussa:

The Facussa

The Facussa, Part 1,

The Facussa, Part 2

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Small fruits consumed like cucumbers (the Gherkins and Pseudo-gherkins)

What small fruit is consumed like a cucumber?

In addition to Cucumis melo and Cucumis sativus, there are several other fruiting plants that are consumed as cucumbers. These include the Cucumis anguria and the Melothria genus. Though both of these are in the family Cucurbitacea, both possess attributes that are markedly different from C. melo or sativus. The fruits of both C. anguria and Melothria are much smaller, they grow on thin vines that are very disease resistant and the vines continue to expand until the first frost.

The ‘Jamacian Burr Gherkin’ Cucumis anguria cultivar

What is a Burr Gherkin?

The Cucumis anguria is often referred to as ‘Maroon Cucumber’, ‘West Indian Gherkin’, ‘Burr Gherkin’ or just ‘Gherkin’. While the word gherkin does orginate from the Dutch word ‘gurken’ – meaning a small pickled cucumber – these small cucumber-like fruit are not baby pickles, but rather a species of plant that carries the botanicall nickname “gherkin”. While botanical gherkins usually produce small fruit that are suitable to be processed into pickled gherkins, I have found no specific information concerning the origin of the botanical nickname. Native to Africa, these juicy and generally spiny fruits made there way to central and south America with the slave trade. Once established, the vines are prolific, producing fruit which taste very similar to a cucumber – albeit without the bitterness. With fig leaf-shaped vines that are hardy until the first frost and fruit that will last for a while longer, the Cucumis anguria can easily establish itself as a weed in tropical and subtropical climates.

The hardly spiny Ethiopian cultivar of the botanical gherkin or Cucumis anguria

What are the distinguishing characteristics of the Melothria genus?

Another cucumber-like fruit that are native to the southern United States and Mexico are those in the Melothria genus. The Melothria scabra from Mexico and the Melothria pendula from the southern United States look very similar to little watermelons. They may be little melon-like fruit eaten like cucumbers, but they are neither a melon or a cucumber. Nor are they botanical gherkins, though they are similar in size and growth pattern to the C. anguira. In this way, they may be referred to as “pseudo-gherkins”. The small cucumber leaf-shaped vines start as very small plants, but will grow – over time – to take over very large areas. The stem of the Melothria genus easily reroots when placed on moist soil and the roots can establish tubers which, in tropical and subtropical frost-free climates will become perennial. These tubers resprout earlier in the season and grow much faster than vines started by seed. Attributes such as covering large areas of land, producing large quantities of fruit, rerooting and setting tubers can be a double-edged sword. While vigorous fruiting plants are ideal for gardeners wanting a bountiful harvest, these same characteristics can lead to the vines establishing themselves as a pernicious weed.

Fruit of the Melothria scabra, or ‘Sanditas’ on the vine

What is a Sandita?

The Melothria scabra is the most familiar Melothria species. In Spanish it is called the ‘Sandita’ or ‘little watermelon’. Other names for the fruit include ‘Mexican Sour Gherkin’ ‘Cucamelon’ or ‘Mouse Melon’. Once rare, they have become quite common among gardeners and gardening catalogues. The oval Sandita fruit tends to be best when ¾” to 1” in length and still shiny but become less desirable as the fruit surface becomes dull and wrinkled. While many love the ease of growing these mini melons, there is a large range of opinions about their palatability, flavor and texture – from delicious bitter-free lemony cute crunchy snacks to snot-textured cucumber-rind flavored little fruit. When compared with the mass-produced cheap grocery store cucumber, Sanditas likely seem quite delicious. But just because a food is bitter-free (liver, for example) doesn’t mean that people will want to consume it. That being said, because of its ease to grow and its appeal to those wanting to grow “baby watermelons” the Sandita is likely to remain a mainstay among gardeners.

Some Sanditas (Melothria scabra) in a bowl

What is a Creeping Cucumber?

A close relative – also coming from North America – is the Melothria scabra, or ‘Creeping Cucumber’. So similar are the two species in characteristics that it is possible that in some of their overlapping range, the two will cross. Other than the fruit of the Creeping Cucumber being slightly smaller than the Sandita, the young Creeping Cucumber looks and tastes just like the Sandita. But as the M. pendula fruit matures from light to dark green, it also transitions from being a fun snack to also becoming a strong purgative/laxative. Another thing that sets this species apart is that, true to its name, the ‘Creeping Cucumber’ tends to sprawl along the ground – establishing roots at each stem internode that touches bare soil.

The Melothria pendula or ‘Creeping Cucumber’

Overall, African gherkins and American ‘pseudo-gherkins’ can be fun additions to most gardens. Their ease to grow in a variety of climates makes them suitable for new gardeners and their prolific nature and small size makes them suitable for young gardeners. Even for experienced seed-savers, they can be a very helpful addition to the garden. Along with their disease-resistance and season-extending attributes, the fact that these small-fruited vines cross with neither C. sativus, C. melo makes them an ideal for growing alongside any other vine that is grown as a cucumber.

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“Regular” Indian Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)

What defines a “Regular” Cucumber?

Cucumis sativus are generally considered a green cylindrical juicy fruiting vegetable that grows on vines in the warm season. Like other cucurbits, they are generally monoecious, “bearing staminate and pistillate flowers on the same plant”. (Paris et al 2012) They can also be other colors and shapes, but generally exhibit spines on the vines and often warts or spines on the fruit.

Marketmore 76 is a classic American C. sativus variety.

The Cucumis sativus has its origin in the Indian subcontinent and was not introduced into much of Europe until the mid-9th century. Much of its introduction was likely from Persia by land and through Islamic conquests by sea. Unlike the Cucumis melo which had previously been the cucumber variety being grown in much of Africa, the Middle East and Europe – the introduction of the Indian cucumber enabled growers to cultivate cucumbers in cooler regions, while the fruit itself can often be stored for longer and travel farther than Cucumis melo fruits. Some of the mature heirloom Indian C. sativus varieties can even be stored for several months after being harvested.

Mature Indian Sikkim Cucumbers can be stored for months after being harvested.

While there have been a number of developments to cucumbers over time, such as the thin-skinned Beit Alpha or Lebanese-types, English types and parthenocarpic cucumber varieties, in general cucumbers exhibit some drawbacks in relation to the Cucumis melo varieties that they replaced. The fruit of Cucumis sativus varieties often increase in bitterness when the plant is stressed, are less drought tolerant, have a sappy tacky aftertaste and can be difficult to digest. Even with these limitations, because of its ability to quickly grown in a range of climates as well as being suitable for storing and shipping, the standard sativus cucumber will likely remain the cucumber of choice for the foreseeable future.