Kiwano
Kiwano: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Kiwano is an annual climbing plant with oval fruit covered in thick projections. Also called African horned cucumber, it belongs to the cucurbit family under the name Cucumis metuliferus. Its most striking feature is the contrast between orange skin when ripe and green pulp. This combination of colour and surface detail makes the fruit immediately recognisable, with an inside texture very different from a firm-fleshed melon.Fruit starts green and develops yellow, orange or bronze-red tones as it ripens. Projections scattered over the surface look like little horns. The skin forms a fairly thick covering around the inner chambers. Size and exact colour vary between fruit and selections. Once opened, kiwano reveals many seeds surrounded by juicy pulp, giving the inside an almost jelly-like appearance. This seed-filled texture is a central part of its eating character.The plant has long herbaceous stems and tendrils, small structures that attach to neighbouring objects. It…
