When you are drowning in cucamelons, why not pickle them? These pickled cucamelons are well spiced and delicious. They can be canned for long-term storage, or used as refrigerator pickles.
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Gardening
This spring and summer I had huge gardening plans- I planted even more vegetables and fruits than I did last year. I grew up on a small farm that had many huge vegetable gardens that my sister and I tended to daily. When I became an adult, I always said that I had weeded the gardens enough times in my lifetime, that I would never have a garden as an adult. That changed a few years ago when I found myself going back to my roots. It started with a tomato plant, and went up from there.
Early this year I bought up many different types of seeds long before anyone else was even thinking about their summer gardens. I came across this cute plants called the cucamelon and I clicked “add to basket”. In the early spring I planted 2 cucamelon seeds and these cute plants grew. I accidentally killed one of them by transplanting them a tad too early, but this one grew beautifully. It is taking over my beans and my pumpkins too! I never expected the plant to produce so many little watermelon shaped cucumbers! All of my cucumber plants somewhat failed this summer, so I was glad to have these!
Cucamelon facts and what to use them for!
- Part of the cucumber family, these cute tiny watermelon look-a-likes are actually a superfood! They contain vitamins, C, E & K, just to name a few!
- High in Fiber!
- They can be used in salads, salsas, for pickling, in cocktails or eaten raw! Anything you can use a cucumber for, you can use a cucamelon for!
- They are relatively easy to grow! They need sunlight and room to spread out, and spread out, they will! A trellis or two is a great idea, too!
- I have read that you can also grow them as a hanging plant in your house, given the proper sunlight and heat exposure!
- They are very slightly sour, unlike cucumbers! Some people say they taste like a cucumber with a light lime element.
Pickled Cucamelons
Equipment
- Large Stock Pot with rack or a water canner
- 4 Sterile Canning jars with lids (500mL)
- Canning jar lifter
- Cheesecloth
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cup Water
- 4 2/3 cup Pickling Vinegar You can use regular 5% vinegar if that's what you have
- 6 tbsp organic sugar 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp pickling salt coarse
- 2 tbsp pickling spice
For each individual Jar
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 3/4 tsp dill seed
- 1/2 tsp pickling spice
- 1-2 slice sweet onion optional
- 2-3 cup cucamelons
Instructions
- Place individual jar ingredients in the clean sterile canning jars
- Fill the jars with the cucamelons, leaving just 1 cm of space to the top.
For the brine
- Place the two tablespoons on pickling spice in the cheesecloth and tie it closed, tightly.
- In a large pot, add the water, vinegar, salt and sugar and boil until all of the salt and sugar has dissolved.
- Add the cheesecloth with the spices and boil for ten minutes.
- Turn off the burner and with a ladle or funnel, fill each jar with the brine.
- Put the lids on the jars, tightly.
- If refrigerating the pickles, let them cool completely and place them in the fridge. Wait at least a week before consuming so they can fully marinate in the brine.
Instructions for waterbath if preserving the pickled cucamelons
- Boil water in the canner or large stock pot.
- When water is boiling, carefully add the jars in the canner or stock pot rack.
- Boil for 15 minutes to process the jars, only starting the timer when the water begins to boil again.
- Carefully remove the jars with a jar lifter and place somewhere to cool.
- You may hear a pop in the next 24 hours, this is the cans sealing.
- After 24 hours, check the seal on the jars. If a jar has not sealed properly, stick it in the fridge and consume within 3 months.
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