Garden And Gossip Forums

I've just bought "Incredible Edibles" by Matthew Biggs. "Grow something different in your fruit and veg plot".
Some of the plants he mentions I've grown, some I've considered growing and others are new to me. I'm going to ask you all what you think about his suggestions and whether you would grow them. 

1. Snake Gourd. Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina.  
(Looks a bit like a trombone squash.) "The fruits, if left to their own devices, will coil up like a bedspring or like a snake wrapped around a tree branch". 
"Young fruit can be eaten like courgettes while the red pulp of the mature fruit makes a good substitute for tomatoes.
Young shoots and leaves are also edible and, although all parts of the plant taste bitter when raw, this disappears after cooking. 
Leave a few mature specimens to paint up and turn into colourful snakes. "

(25-11-2023, 10:05 PM)Veggie Wrote: [ -> ]I've just bought "Incredible Edibles" by Matthew Biggs. "Grow something different in your fruit and veg plot".
Some of the plants he mentions I've grown, some I've considered growing and others are new to me. I'm going to ask you all what you think about his suggestions and whether you would grow them. 

1. Snake Gourd. Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina.  
(Looks a bit like a trombone squash.) "The fruits, if left to their own devices, will coil up like a bedspring or like a snake wrapped around a tree branch". 
"Young fruit can be eaten like courgettes while the red pulp of the mature fruit makes a good substitute for tomatoes.
Young shoots and leaves are also edible and, although all parts of the plant taste bitter when raw, this disappears after cooking. 
Leave a few mature specimens to paint up and turn into colourful snakes. "

A friend of mine brought back some seeds of these from a holiday abroad and gave me some. I tried them but without success. I think they would be beteer grown in a cold frame or greenhouse.

Yes, it says they like a warm, sheltered spot with minimum temp of 20 C for growth.

Interesting article about them https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/obser...nake-gourd
The flowers, as well as the fruit look amazing!.
I'm sure I had some seeds for "snake plant" once but they were sold as something to paint as a toy, not for eating.

The flowers are beautiful aren’t they. I didn’t realise they were edible at any stage. I may have to add them to a future grow list.

This is NOT a recommendation but https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/snake-.../gwc8965TM I think this was the packet I had once but never grew. May even still be here somewhere!

Incredible Edible No. 2
Turkish Orange Aubergine. "Compact plants produce plentiful crops of sweet, well-flavoured fruits with glossy, orange and green striped skins that mature to pure orange and red" . "Grows to a sturdy 60cms/24". What it lacks in stature it makes up for in productivity and bushes often end up heaving with fruits."

I think I bought seeds of these last years but didn't get around to sowing them! 

EDIT Bought them here https://www.premierseedsdirect.com/produ...sh-orange/

(25-11-2023, 11:33 PM)Veggie Wrote: [ -> ]This is NOT a recommendation but https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/snake-.../gwc8965TM I think this was the packet I had once but never grew. May even still be here somewhere!

I had a pkt of those, they must have been a freebie, you might have got them in a seedswap from me but I think I gave them away to a charity shop. Either way I wasn't going to grow them