Growing and Cooking the West Indian Gherkin

How to grow West Indian Burr Gherkin, Cucumis Anguria from seed and enjoy a simple yet delicious recipe from Brazil. Known as Maxixe in Brazil, the West Indian Gherkin is a relative of the cucumber what is an oddity in north America.
Support the channel: / suburbanhomestead or buy my art www.etsy.com/shop/SiloeOliveira
Created by: Siloe Oliveira

[@SnoqualmieValleyGardenGirl]

I love your videos. I would love to see a home tour in your future videos!

[@suburbanhomestead]

I’m planning on doing a trial with a room makeover maybe. I need to gauge the interest of the audience at large with the topic.

[@askmamalouise7605]

@@suburbanhomestead We are so willing to see a room make over for sure! It is so good to see you! We love your video's for sure.

[@blindedbythelight862]

@@suburbanhomestead interested. It looks like you have a very cool interesting place.

[@northrupmj]

@@suburbanhomestead that would be awesome!

[@martinhagard8343]

Awesome to see you back doing videos Siloe. I absolutely love the cottage masterclass series but there is something so enjoyable and - for lack of a better word - cozy with these videos where we get to see you planting, harvesting and cooking your produce while geting an update on how your garden is lookingthis year. This truly brightened my day!

[@suburbanhomestead]

Thanks Martin. I’m glad you enjoyed this format. I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue doing too many of these just due to the numbers they bring. In other words KZbin doesn’t like them that much. So I do have to keep this in mind for the channel’s strategy, otherwise it goes down a spiral of irrelevance in the system. So I’ll have it here and there but unfortunately I have to focus on more popular formats with information more people are actually looking for. But I’m glad you enjoyed spending some time with me in the video.

[@serenetruth]

This is easily the best channel on youtube.

[@nagilagomesoliveira8915]

Eu ia comentar que fica uma delícia com feijão, aí vc colocou no prato ♥. Aqui no Centro Oeste do Brasil tbm comemos muito, até como salada. Um abraço Siloe, adoro seus vídeos

[@ZukiGrL1]

Oh YES! I was just thinking if you'd be willing to do a home tour or home interior videos. Thank you for these great videos, always educational and inspiring.....

[@zadhi]

This is and will most likely always be one of my favorite creators and there's no way I could do justice to the quality of content, topics, and how amazing it is to explore it with someone as curious and intelligent as Siloe

[@suburbanhomestead]

Thank you for such a compliment

[@gabriellakadar]

Hi Siloe, you could try Cucamelons. (Mexican Sour Gerkhin) Melothria scabra. Native to Mexico down to Venezuela. I've grown them for three years and they do not have pests. They are in the Cucurbitaceae family, but cucumber beetles are absolutely not attracted to them. Six vines usually cover a 20 by 6 feet of fence by the end of summer. They produce hundreds of fruit. At the end of season, I rip all the vines down and use them as mulch. At the beginning, the plants are scrawny little things. Then all of a sudden they take off and in no time at all they climb all over the fence. Saving seeds is easy because nothing cross pollinates with them. The bees love the flowers. gabi

[@Michael-Simpson]

As always, brilliant videography and storytelling. Excellent content

[@turuanu]

Woohoo. I added this video to my watch later as soon as it came out but could watch it only now. Glad you went back to cooking!

[@nancysueleske7819]

I love food of the peasantry.

[@shannas7516]

5 days ago! How did I miss this? Excellent as usual.

[@suburbanhomestead]

A portion of the audience just didn’t like the topic enough to click, so KZbin never shares it to the complete channel audience. I’m glad you found it and liked it. I don’t know if it is sustainable for the channel to do less popular topics like this though. I wish I didn’t have to worry about this aspect.

[@shannas7516]

@@suburbanhomestead no kidding. We should be able to post our healthy interest without having to worry about such things. I'm grateful you're hanging in there. I think I just missed it because I spent some time offline.

[@gigirod805]

We grew maxixes this year. We didn’t have abundant fruits, but I will try your recipe next time. Awesome video!

[@Berr3631]

Great video lovely food always looking forward to your 🌱 seed to table produce and a tour of what you grow.Thank you God bless..🇬🇧

[@suburbanhomestead]

Glad you enjoy these simple videos as well. I know they are as popular as other titles but I still hope they spike curiosity.

[@Berr3631]

@@suburbanhomestead Oh definitely you inspired me to start with plate method, l will be planting gerkin next year, God willing..

[@raimundoluz]

Bom dia muito interessante vê a sua plantação de machiche. Isso me faz lembrar da minha infância quando minha mãe preparava machiche com carne moída. Uma delícia!!!

[@1Clairecijntje]

Thank you for this video! This is a staple veggie in Curaçao, Dutch West Indies. We make a stew with it adding salt meats. And we do call them “komkomber chikitu”, little cucumber. I just found your channel and I like it very much!!

[@johnkm77]

I love your channel and your old world architectural taste.

[@ZCScience]

Yes! A new cucumber video!! Awesome quality! 🥒

[@suburbanhomestead]

Yay! Thank you!

[@pay1370]

that sprouting glass is so cool looking, i've never seen gherkin grown before. might have to give them a try next year, i'm curious about their taste now haha.

[@suburbanhomestead]

They are a lot like cucumbers but have a bit of an acidic tang. That is why they do well cooked.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Well done Siloe. Very peaceful dude 🎥❤️🙏🏻👍

[@suburbanhomestead]

Thanks David. I wonder if this vegetable ever got to Australia.

[@TheWeedyGarden]

@@suburbanhomestead I’m sure it has Siloe, just not in my garden.

[@gardeninginthedesert]

I don't have these gherkins but I'm going to try to recreate this dish today with what I have. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@suburbanhomestead]

Do you have Brazilian manioc flour or are you trying only the cooked gherkins part.

[@gardeninginthedesert]

@suburbanhomestead For the base I didn't have beans so I used lentils and I harvested bissap yesterday, it's a green leaf, so I put that with the lentils. On top I used the usual salad cucumber, tomato, green pepper and garlic and the spices you mentioned in the video, turmeric, coriander and black pepper. It was delicious! I sent a photo to your Instagram messages.

[@kaitlin5264]

Your videos are always so well-done! Thanks for sharing this unique veggie!!

[@krisbaker9427]

They are surprisingly seedy.

[@smallhitchfarm9090]

I appreciate your channel so much!

[@argetlamzn]

Yes, I’ve been wanting to grow these! Love your videos!

[@suburbanhomestead]

Hope this helped

[@theramblingrose_]

Beautiful! I love the shot where you are walking with the milk thistle and pink zinnias in the foreground. The colour palette of pink and green against your shirt all works so perfectly. Keep up the magic, love your work!

[@culdesacgrocerygarden]

Does the gherkin have a cucumber taste? I am trying to wrap my head around this. I believe you that it is delicious but cant imagine cooked cucmber. I love hearing and learning about frugal "survival" foods from all cultures and can really relate to the satisfaction of enjoying food straight from the earth. I enjoy all summer long my own concoctions fresh from the garden and have relished the idea that I have created something brilliant, only to discover later that it is the same thing as ratatouille haha!

[@benvera9777]

They grow in the wild South Texas and North México. I ate those all life in my ranch grow everywhere.

[@lidial1042]

Very interesting. Every year I try one (or more 😂) new plant variety, maybe I should add it to my list. I like the videos where you cook and show how you use your produce. We come from very different cultures, my country's cuisine is so different. Thank you for sharing.

[@anapaulacrawford5837]

Oh my gosh , it was to be delicious! Awesome video! God bless!

[@Polkfarmhouse]

This dish looks delicious! I never would have thought to cook a cucumber, I would absolutely try this meal. I love your daily use of antiques and your eclectic style. The covered dish you used to sprout the seeds is particularly gorgeous!

[@creepylittlecreature]

I love watching your videos. The vibe is always so different than other videos. It's so much calmer and I can see how much more work and love you put in these. Thank you for making videos that calm me down :)

[@gazoakleychef]

I need to taste this dish 😍

[@suburbanhomestead]

You really have to try farofa at some point, especially as you would be a master at creating the savory umami under base before adding the Brazilian manioc flour. You just have to source the correct manioc flour from a Brazilian store. (It is not the same thing as cassava/manioc starch that is often sold as cassava flour for gluten free baking) searching for the Brazilian name is safest: farinha de mandioca.

[@moirarussell1950]

💕these videos are great. I learn something new every time.

[@SirtenlySurprized]

I absolutely love your videos. Beautiful and informative. Perfection!

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I've been catching up on your videos, Siloe, and this was so great. Loved the simplicity of that recipe. I'd love you to share how you make your beans too! ~ Jennifer

[@suburbanhomestead]

Thank you Jennifer. I’m glad to see you here!

[@missthang4770]

Just stumbled upon your channel. That dish looks absolutely yummy! In my opinion, as a Caribbean person, food recipes born of adversity amid diversity can be superbly creative and delicious.

[@stuartbarker9373]

Tangential to your main points, but if someone says "West Indian Gherkin" I assume it's a gherkin coming from the West Indies - i'e. the Caribbean area. If it came from the west of India, I'd expect it to be called "..... er ..... um .......", yeah, I don't really know!

[@suburbanhomestead]

You are right maybe it should be West Indies since it is Caribbean. I think I said West Indian because the seed package said west India burr gherkin.

[@shannas7516]

Hope garden season went well. The only thing I had grow well was my tomatillos to this year.

[@ieatmygarden]

Always so excited to see one of your videos!!! Thank you for all you dooooooo!

[@joannewolfe5688]

I also would love to see a home tour! I don't know whether you filmed some of your rehabbing of the house, but it would be fun to see that process, as well. You have a lovely and eclectic interior decorating style.

[@jacquespoulemer3577]

Siloe, Saudades do Oaxaca, Mexico. Hermits like you and I don't do a lot of communal celebrating but I did notice that last month was Brazil's 200 Anniversary of Independence....Hope you enjoyed the day. I liked seeing this new vegetable. since we don't have as many africans in Mexico as you do in Brazil I don't think we have this particular gherkin. I might have to just grow it myself hahaha. Be Well your friend Jim ...

[@7bpotager8]

Always a fabulous video! Enjoyed watching you cook the yummy dish 🍽

[@jasmineb8576]

These are interesting!! Thank you for sharing, I love discovering new edibles.

[@dearestgarden]

Lovely video!! That meal looked delicious!! Adding Gherkin seeds to my wishlist!!

[@suburbanhomestead]

Glad to see you here.

[@dearestgarden]

@@suburbanhomestead ☺️🌻

[@jamiesuzanne5826]

I wold love to see cooking videos. I'm vegetarian and would love unusual ideas.

[@owenowen7005]

Thank you for sharing such a wholesome experience of rasing the gherkins from the seed to then elevate it with this hot dish! The beans seem like they served as such an inviting base for the end of it's journey. - Are they pinto beans and is there any particular way you cooked them? I've also never come across a hot dish with raw flour, I am very keen to attempt to recreate something smiliar, to personally experience the mouth feel.

[@suburbanhomestead]

Thank you. It is pinto beans cooked in the Brazilian way with a pressure cooker so they get a thicker “sauce” to them. The flour is pre-cooked. It is Brazilian manioc flour, it is unlike any other flours. I suppose crushed unsweetened cornflakes would be a closer substitution but with a very different taste. The flour soaks up the liquids and pouring a bit of olive oil also is nice.

[@culdesacgrocerygarden]

@@suburbanhomestead I had to google this, I have never heard of it. It is Cassava?

[@suburbanhomestead]

@@culdesacgrocerygarden it is from cassava plant, which is also known as manioc, but it is not the starch only that’s used to make tapioca, Or in other gluten free recipes. The best way is to buy it in the Brazilian name: farinha de mandioca, from Amazon or a local Brazilian market.

[@MonoiLuv]

Such a beautiful garden. I always enjoy your artful videos. Thank you for teaching me about the gherkin!

[@lesliekendall5668]

Sounds like a good combination to make a pie out of. I just finished making some jars of green tomato salsa which was a first for me.

[@samiamnot8906]

I just discovered your channel and have been surprised by the similarities between us in the way that we garden. A number of your plants are relevant to me as I have had the same struggles and grown the same types. I live in Australia and am on my way to becoming mostly food independent within a year, thank God I have enough space to have a system that feeds itself in most respects. Also your taste in creations in general is very similar, though I would never wear a vest! If you have time to answer, what are a few of your favourite books you have read?

[@laylaw9023]

I enjoy all your videos, Siloé. I especially like the Brazilian way of cutting greens into skinny strands. It is novel technique for me and now cannot prepare greens any other way. Is it slight exaggeration the Brazilian cook can slice greens thin as a hair?! Well, thank you for showing us a novel way to prepare greens.

[@suburbanhomestead]

Glad to hear that. Thin as hair may be hyperbole, but you would be surprised by how fine some can do it. It completely changes the texture in the mouth as you bite it, so the analogy of thin as hair is appropriate.

[@arthemiss2157]

Look delicious

[@CoffeeCakeCrumble]

Comparing these to typical cukes like pickler or marketmore, is the flesh more dense to hold up to cooking? While I grow my fair share of the two, eat creamed cucumbers all summer and turn the rest into relish, I'm interested in other ways to utilize the produce on an instant pick'n eat level. If that means including another version I'm willing to try these gherkins. The garlic/poblano/tomato blend looks like it would be delicious on toasted crusty bread by itself😋😋😋

[@philrubio3328]

Siloe you have an amazing channel.. my two cents is you should do more Vegan recipes.. buuutttt… you should cook more familiar dishes.. there’s nothing wrong with the Indian Gherkin but unfortunately you won’t get the views other more known veggies that are more popular.. I love your channel .. God bless..

[@larissamoraes1438]

Finalmente achei vc de novo 😍 eu amava seus vídeos, mas pq parou de fazer vídeos em português??

[@moodsmcgee8552]

I am so glad I came back to this video, the music really brought this to the next level for me. Who's playing the recorder? They make it sound so playful. I listen a bit to native american flute music but this is nice too.

[@suburbanhomestead]

Glad you enjoyed the music. I played several recorders for this including a bamboo one. All I can say is I had fun with it.

[@lennapelayo3252]

Excellent video for some reason I did not see your videos coming up but would you grow those Indian gherkins again and may I ask what type of tomatoes that those were they look really good thank you for putting an awesome video out Siloe beautiful paintings🤩🤩🤩🥰

[@brianyurek3900]

That dish looked amazing. We just moved to Maryland near Antietam battlefield in an old pre civil war house. Is there a way to email you for some ideas on plants because we have very little knowledge.

[@carolinekloppert5177]

Interesting the dusting of raw manic flour. I see you take the warnings about cyanide with a pinch of salt. Another instructive video.

[@suburbanhomestead]

The Brazilian Cassava flour is different from the one usually used for gluten free cooking which is cassava starch. The Brazilian one can be eaten at the stage it is sold as it is precooked during processing. Also This is a very common staple in the northeast of brazil. The cyanide is negligible when eaten as part of a varied diet.

Thanks for your sharing, I did not know manioc flour can be eaten raw on top of cooked bean like this.

[@suburbanhomestead]

This type of grainy manioc flour is already cooked. It is not the same as is sold as a gluten free flour substitute. That is manioc starch.

@@suburbanhomestead Ah, understand, thanks for that great info!

[@AnaCosta-wr7fx]

Looks like jilo (or gilo). Gosto frito! Or roasted. I can't find here in the US. My berinjelas did not thrive the way it supposed to they were bitter and I loved them. But if you come to find gilo seeds let me know. Thank you! )over your videos!!

[@darlenecuker9711]

Interesting. Can they be treated like regular cucumbers, I.e. raw in salads?

[@suburbanhomestead]

Technically they can if you pick them young, but I think they are better pickled or cooked.

[@dnasch]

Thank you!! That's awesome. Can I find chuchu to grow here in the USA?

[@suburbanhomestead]

You can find it in international markets but it will only grow to produce in the Deep South or Southern California. I experimented growing it this year. The vine looked beautiful but it only flowers after in October when it is too cold to keep growing.

[@otrotland5377]

thanks, how does the taste compare to normal cucumbers?

[@carolinekloppert5177]

Very interesting. Perhaps tiny low doses of poison are even good for us. This is what some of the metabolic path to longevity people say. No one should take cyanide as an experiment though. I read that some people in Uganda processing their own cassava from wild varieties with a very high cyanogenic content have had poisonings. The article said they didn't cook it at a high enough temperature for long enough, as it was in the form of steamed cassava balls. So for eliminating cyanide the type of processing is crucial. I'm concerned because I'm cultivating Chaya Mansa which is a cousin of cassava, and I don't want to overcook the greens, and often steam mine, but they say 5 minutes in boiling water is enough, so boiling will probably be a better option. Cassava isn't common in our area, so we don't know how to produce it safely and are a bit nervous. Thank you Sileo. Congratulations on your channel's growth. I hope it means you'll be able to continue making videos without suffering financially.

[@suburbanhomestead]

In that case you should be nervous because some varieties are indeed quite toxic if not processed correctly. There is a dish from the Amazon region of Brazil called maniçoba that consists of the leaves of cassava that are boiled everyday day for 7 days with changes of water to make them edible. So I would not experiment with something like that. But commercial flour is safe.

[@brucetidwell7715]

But, Siloe, what does it actually taste like?

[@suburbanhomestead]

It is like a more acidic squash

[@finolajenningsclark2743]

Curious how prickly these were. I just picked some wild here in Saint Lucia - at least I'm fairly sure it's these- but the whole vine was very prickly

[@suburbanhomestead]

They are a bit prickly when raw. Just make sure you have the right plant since some wild cucumbers are toxic

[@finolajenningsclark2743]

@@suburbanhomestead thanks! Quite a few people here have commented they know it and eat it - I'll check with my plant ID people here too though, just to be safe!

[@ghtbb]

Do they say "in lock step" alot in Brazil? 🤣

[@lavenderfieldshomestead786]

Do you have a cookbook for sale?

[@S.Hoodie]

Have you considered buying a dog or cat to keep your nemesis at bay?

[@jasminush]

Or adopting for that matter ;)

[@messagegoeshere741]

A small dog would be good if you get the right breed. Terriers or a larger dog would definitely uproot his garden. But why not adopt both (cat & dog)? Always nice to be double insured.

[@rebeccadees2300]

Recipe or name so I can find the recipe please?