If they are ‘tasteless’ isn’t the answer, “no.” by definition?
lburkeiowa
Horned melon Cucumis meteliferous
Satiricallysardonic
Ooo horned melon. Theyre so alien and weird. As a kid I thought they looked like weird alien eggs or something. Theyre good if you mix them with sugar or salt =D
CNSLaurel_Bees
I grew them four years ago. got about 40. Ate one. I’m good lol. Like hmmm…. I didn’t know I ordered snot cucumbers. Lovely
RogerClyneIsAGod2
If you let them go yellow they do have a flavour, sorta cucumbery.
Kiwano, which is also called African horned cucumber or jelly melon, is a tropical fruit native to Africa, Australia, and some islands in the Pacific. It’s a member of the cucumber family. The inside of the fruit contains jelly-like pulp and edible seeds.
Kiwano contains a lot of essential vitamins and minerals. It is water-rich and low in calories. Kiwano fruit contains the following nutrients:
• Protein • Vitamin C • Vitamin A • Vitamin B6 • Magnesium • Iron • Phosphorus • Zinc • Potassium • Calcium
The seeds contain the antioxidants a-tocopherol and β-tocopherol, which are organic forms of Vitamin E. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
So yes, like most other fruits, it also has health benefits. **With its high water content & low natural sugar, perhaps even more so.** Good find.
tartymae
If you let them ripen to yellow, they DO have a flavor, but it’s not a strong one. It’s a little tangy and citrusy.
The “seeds” are great in a salad.
dasWibbenator
Does anyone have experience growing this?? I’ve ever heard of it but OP mentioned the health benefits so now I want to try this. I’m in 7a / 6b. Can this be done?
JealousDiscipline993
I’ve seen them volunteer and fruit in a very warm microclimate of 7b. I think if you treated them right you can definitely pull it off.
seruhr
I grew a few last year, really cool but weird plant. It grows like a long vine, rather thin but covered in loads of tine sharp spines, so you need gloves while handling the plant, even the leaves to some degree. The fruit themselves are fun looking too, they stay good for ages off the plant, but the taste is kind of bland. I didn’t enjoy eating them mainly because they have so many seeds that are too awkward to eat easily. The rest if the inside was basically lots of small jelly sacks. It’s a good example of a plant that hasn’t been domesticated. Selective breeding could make the seeds more tolerable and strengthen the flavour, and maybe make the plant less hazardous to handle, but I like the wild aspect of growing it. Growing sub-ideal but exotic and weird things is fun.
KickaVatnik316
I’ve never even seen this before and it’s kind of creepy cool. I would not be the one to be like Yano what I wonder what it tastes like lol .
Haskap_2010
Horned melon? I think they’re supposed to be yellow when they’re ripe. A small seed producer in my province sells them.
Horned Melons have a taste… its kind of citricy… I grew them one year but I didnt harvest them until they were yellow in color. I made some fun cocktails with them as well since they were BRIGHT green on the inside
Motor_Crow4482
Are – are you eating them green?? You should let them ripen to yellow, at which point they acquire a pleasantly light sweet flavor that is somewhat tangy/citrusy.
I like the (properly ripe) fruits as an occasional snack. I have never grown them, but I have considered it and have some seeds on hand. I think I would grow them vertically to enjoy the visuals of the vine growing and the fruits ripening.
Beginning-Border-153
How could one taste them if they are in fact “tasteless” as you suggest in your post??? 🤣😅
ElectricTomatoMan
Can one taste that which is without taste?
ClayQuarterCake
Shock fruit. Throw them at gibdos to stun them and remove their protection. Then you can stab them with the master sword.
ilovdedy0upiggy
I’m growing one this year, it’s on my windowsill now and going outside soon. We bought one from the grocery store earlier this year and loved it, husband said it’s his new favorite fruit. Kiddo and I enjoyed it too. As others have said, probably needs to be ripe first. I like the weird texture, reminds me of giant chia seeds or something. We just scooped and ate, but I’ve since seen that you probably put them in things like yogurt. Right at the very end of eating this $8 fruit I realized I might be able to grow them myself so we don’t have to pay those ridiculous prices. We only had a handful of seeds left at that point and I saved them. Planted them a few weeks ago without much confidence this experiment would work but they had great germination and are growing well so far. Fingers crossed we get a ton this summer! Will definitely be growing every year if it works out.
krispy7
This is an attack plant. Very sharp spikes on the stems and fruit, made me bleed a few times the year I grew them. Super easy to grow, too bad they aren’t worth it.
FuzzyNegotiation24-7
These must be what I accidentally grew in my garden. I called them metal melons because everything was super sharp and spiky on the plant
gharr87
I grew these one year and ended up with a ton. Not bad when ripe, kinda cucumbery.
Capital-Gardens
Wait this is kiwano? I eat it orange its actually good
lesqueen00
I live in Kenya and these are very common here. People typically eat them for health but not necessarily taste. For some people, it upsets their stomachs (be warned) Wait for them to be yellow, then they will be more mellow.
edee_mars
These are African cucumbers, we usually eat them with a bit of salt, just like english cucumbers, although prepping them for consumption is a pain
Horned cucumbers taste like nothing really. They make a really mild and refreshing juice. Would not recommend eating this fruit like you would cucumbers or melons. I add them to a smoothie/milkshake when I get my hands on them. They grow wild in the veld around Pretoria, South Africa. Make sure to harvest when still green, in late summer. They stick around until winter, but then the taste disappears and the skin hardenens.
0nine0seven
snot cucumbers are an acquired taste, much like some of life’s finer delicacies
Andy90_8
If it’s spiked, it says don’t touch. If you bite, your tongue gets a bite.
just-kath
SO they are nutritious?
AtroposMortaMoirai
The favourite fruit of 80s sci-fi set dressers. Even ripe, they don’t taste like much.
35 Comments
I’m ignorant, give me a clue.
If they are ‘tasteless’ isn’t the answer, “no.” by definition?
Horned melon Cucumis meteliferous
Ooo horned melon. Theyre so alien and weird. As a kid I thought they looked like weird alien eggs or something. Theyre good if you mix them with sugar or salt =D
I grew them four years ago. got about 40. Ate one. I’m good lol. Like hmmm…. I didn’t know I ordered snot cucumbers. Lovely
If you let them go yellow they do have a flavour, sorta cucumbery.
Thanks for sharing this. Here’s what I found…
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
*Medically Reviewed by Christine Mikstas, RD, LD on July 08, 2023*
Kiwano, which is also called African horned cucumber or jelly melon, is a tropical fruit native to Africa, Australia, and some islands in the Pacific. It’s a member of the cucumber family. The inside of the fruit contains jelly-like pulp and edible seeds.
Kiwano contains a lot of essential vitamins and minerals. It is water-rich and low in calories. Kiwano fruit contains the following nutrients:
• Protein
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B6
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Phosphorus
• Zinc
• Potassium
• Calcium
The seeds contain the antioxidants a-tocopherol and β-tocopherol, which are organic forms of Vitamin E.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
So yes, like most other fruits, it also has health benefits. **With its high water content & low natural sugar, perhaps even more so.** Good find.
If you let them ripen to yellow, they DO have a flavor, but it’s not a strong one. It’s a little tangy and citrusy.
The “seeds” are great in a salad.
Does anyone have experience growing this?? I’ve ever heard of it but OP mentioned the health benefits so now I want to try this. I’m in 7a / 6b. Can this be done?
I’ve seen them volunteer and fruit in a very warm microclimate of 7b. I think if you treated them right you can definitely pull it off.
I grew a few last year, really cool but weird plant. It grows like a long vine, rather thin but covered in loads of tine sharp spines, so you need gloves while handling the plant, even the leaves to some degree.
The fruit themselves are fun looking too, they stay good for ages off the plant, but the taste is kind of bland. I didn’t enjoy eating them mainly because they have so many seeds that are too awkward to eat easily. The rest if the inside was basically lots of small jelly sacks.
It’s a good example of a plant that hasn’t been domesticated. Selective breeding could make the seeds more tolerable and strengthen the flavour, and maybe make the plant less hazardous to handle, but I like the wild aspect of growing it. Growing sub-ideal but exotic and weird things is fun.
I’ve never even seen this before and it’s kind of creepy cool. I would not be the one to be like Yano what I wonder what it tastes like lol .
Horned melon? I think they’re supposed to be yellow when they’re ripe. A small seed producer in my province sells them.
[https://www.marthasgardenseeds.com/product-page/jelly-melon-round-jelly-melon-seeds](https://www.marthasgardenseeds.com/product-page/jelly-melon-round-jelly-melon-seeds)
Horned Melons have a taste… its kind of citricy… I grew them one year but I didnt harvest them until they were yellow in color. I made some fun cocktails with them as well since they were BRIGHT green on the inside
Are – are you eating them green?? You should let them ripen to yellow, at which point they acquire a pleasantly light sweet flavor that is somewhat tangy/citrusy.
I like the (properly ripe) fruits as an occasional snack. I have never grown them, but I have considered it and have some seeds on hand. I think I would grow them vertically to enjoy the visuals of the vine growing and the fruits ripening.
How could one taste them if they are in fact “tasteless” as you suggest in your post??? 🤣😅
Can one taste that which is without taste?
Shock fruit. Throw them at gibdos to stun them and remove their protection. Then you can stab them with the master sword.
I’m growing one this year, it’s on my windowsill now and going outside soon. We bought one from the grocery store earlier this year and loved it, husband said it’s his new favorite fruit. Kiddo and I enjoyed it too. As others have said, probably needs to be ripe first. I like the weird texture, reminds me of giant chia seeds or something. We just scooped and ate, but I’ve since seen that you probably put them in things like yogurt. Right at the very end of eating this $8 fruit I realized I might be able to grow them myself so we don’t have to pay those ridiculous prices. We only had a handful of seeds left at that point and I saved them. Planted them a few weeks ago without much confidence this experiment would work but they had great germination and are growing well so far. Fingers crossed we get a ton this summer! Will definitely be growing every year if it works out.
This is an attack plant. Very sharp spikes on the stems and fruit, made me bleed a few times the year I grew them. Super easy to grow, too bad they aren’t worth it.
These must be what I accidentally grew in my garden. I called them metal melons because everything was super sharp and spiky on the plant
I grew these one year and ended up with a ton. Not bad when ripe, kinda cucumbery.
Wait this is kiwano?
I eat it orange its actually good
I live in Kenya and these are very common here. People typically eat them for health but not necessarily taste. For some people, it upsets their stomachs (be warned) Wait for them to be yellow, then they will be more mellow.
These are African cucumbers, we usually eat them with a bit of salt, just like english cucumbers, although prepping them for consumption is a pain
Parasyte
[Weird Explorer](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=frDw92-WyLo) has tasted them
This will be my 6th season growing the African horned melon aka jelly melon aka kiwano.
What zone are you in?
Did you let them fully ripen?
https://www.reddit.com/r/gardening/s/SLNCYHOIJr
Horned cucumbers taste like nothing really. They make a really mild and refreshing juice. Would not recommend eating this fruit like you would cucumbers or melons.
I add them to a smoothie/milkshake when I get my hands on them. They grow wild in the veld around Pretoria, South Africa. Make sure to harvest when still green, in late summer. They stick around until winter, but then the taste disappears and the skin hardenens.
snot cucumbers are an acquired taste, much like some of life’s finer delicacies
If it’s spiked, it says don’t touch. If you bite, your tongue gets a bite.
SO they are nutritious?
The favourite fruit of 80s sci-fi set dressers. Even ripe, they don’t taste like much.