Benincasa hispida
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Annual vine. Native to tropical Asia, widely cultivated in Taiwan
and Southern Asia. These grow as big as watermelons, and are quite
a curiosity. The fruit of the mature melons makes a bland, cooling
food for hot summer days. Traditional methods of preparation include
stir-fries, miso soup, pickles, candies and preserves. An unusual
Chinese dish is "winter melon pond" where the melon is cut in half, scooped
out, filled with savory soup ingredients, then baked or steamed to done-ness.
The seeds may be eaten as a nutritious food, dressed with salt and fried
or roasted. A decoction of the seeds is used to treat flu symptioms,
as it clears heat and dispels phlegm. Cultivation: Easy. Soak
seeds overnight and plant in very warm soil, in the greenhouse or directly
in the garden. Seed will not germinate in cold soil. In areas
where the growing season is short, start in greenhouse six weeks before
planting outdoors, after the danger of frost has passed. Plant in
fertile hills three feet apart, allowing the plants to vine on the ground.
Sections of the main runners may be buried in organic compost; they will
produce
roots, thereby assuring better fruit set and larger fruits. Flowers
white. Takes 90 to 100 days to maturity.
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