🚫 James Prigioni TOLD Us NOT to Grow These! 🚫

[@pavlovssheep5548]

in Africa they are used as a safe form of fluid/water , where the other water sources are dodgy

[@HitTheDirt]

Wonderful Point

[@ziggybender9125]

Watermelon season must be a time of celebration over there. Such a superior and better tasting hydration source.

[@HitTheDirt]

@@ziggybender9125 people have different tastes and likes. What is best is what is natural and available where you are when you need it.

[@ziggybender9125]

@@HitTheDirt Perhaps my comment was a bit of projection as I am growing watermelons right now and really can't wait to get into the harvesting part of the season.

[@HitTheDirt]

@@ziggybender9125 awesome good luck! I had very little watermelon luck this year.

[@urbanagmike]

Leave my boy James COMING AT YOU LIVE FROM JERSEY alone. 🤣

[@davidthegood]

What's GROWIN ON!?

[@joshuahoyer1279]

Let's GO!

[@kikigoodman9459]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@culdesacgrocerygarden]

Spam some ❤ for Tuck. He's the boss, the king, the guardian of the garden!

[@urbanagmike]

@@culdesacgrocerygarden ❤️❤️❤️

[@theadventuresofjerryandjodi]

James was one of the first I started watching several years ago😊

[@pampotgieter7611]

Our family love these Africa Wild Cucumber. I grew up eating them. Our children love them. Find them much easier to grow than Cucumbers. We prefer to eat them when they green young and tender. When the skin starts to go harder and turn yellow/ orange, the seed is set. The name I knew them by is "Garka". In Namibia the the natives like to cook them like a vegetable. Thank you David for sharing your experiment in growing these African Wild Melon. Yes I agree with you, the best way is to experiment is to grow them your self. And see if you like them. I love watching your videos. 🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚

[@davidthegood]

Thank you very much.

[@managementcreios]

I found one at Spouts, and thought it was actually pretty good. And I tried to grow them from Baker Creek seed this year but they all died - so when you want them you can’t get them, and when you are ambivalent to them they thrive. That’s the secrete of gardening.

[@TaLeng2023]

He who care less have the upper-hand!

[@busyrand]

Hahaha... That's hilarious, and cruel... The things I want the most rarely grow well for me...

[@mamtajaya6457]

We eat that like cucumber, when it’s young and tender green

[@Danfoodforest]

Yes, I'm big on testing things even when people say don't do it.😃..I wonder if they could make juice with some ginger added.

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Living in Kenya doing agroecology, and I LOVE these.... I put them on pineapple , coconut, and banana in the morning with lemon juice.... MAN so good. I got some to come up from seed and it has exploded. About to try to trellis

[@Firevine]

If kudzu grew grenades.

[@NoNORADon911]

Kudnades.

[@arnoldmmbb]

The cucumber that ate the south

[@NoNORADon911]

My comment was deleted. Not rude or controversial. A.I. just assumes I am saying something WRONG 60+% of the time...even when it has no clue what I am saying, it just figures it must be something bad and it better just delete it, you know, to keep the public ''safe''.

[@friendsmakingmusic1751]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@GrandmomZoo]

Hahaha!😂

[@KristelViljoen]

They are a great replacement for cucumber water. A lemonade with the pulp added makes an fantastic refreshing drink, they make excellent jam too. I freez the pulp into ice cubes and then add the cubes to a summer drink for their nutritional benefits and added fibre. They are native to my country (South Africa) and they pop up each year in my garden. Those that are a bit damaged, I cut open and give them to my chickens during the warm dry summer days. They love them.

[@stewartreid2981]

My West Indian grandma ate them all her life. She lived to 106 and never had to take medication. She ate them when green like a cucumber with salt and vinegar.

[@smas3256]

WOW good to know. Did your mom eat them too? Passing along great gene.

[@busyrand]

Fantastic knowledge... I think they look like Dragon Eggs, and I know people will eat them if they heard the story about your grandmother, got some supportive science about the benefits... Call them Dragon Eggs and you won't be able to keep them in stock...

[@stewartreid2981]

@@smas3256 Yes mum does and she's going very well she's in her 80s now.

[@cameronalexander359]

They often appear in Sci-Fi shows as "Alien Space Fruit".

[@busyrand]

Indeed... I say call them Dragon Eggs and you won't be able to keep them in stock... They look cool and one of the commenters mentioned their grandmother ate them regularly and lived to be over a hundred years old... They look fun to grow... If they're like cucumbers then you can blend them into a juice as a secret ingredient... If these were branded as Dragon Eggs, then sold to local Smoothie Shops or Health Enthusiasts as a "locally grown exotic fruit" these will be the new thing. They look cool and ripen beautifully. This is potentially a cash crop if you can figure out how to market/sell it...

[@thatguychris5654]

I agree, if you have room, try something new! Even though barley and corn are cheap, I tried growing an heirloom variety of each. Between the taste and the nutritional value, it's very worth it to me. Another one I'm glad I tried are the Giant Grey Sunflowers. Even though seed is cheap, it doesn't taste like this and the remainder of the plant gets used for so much (stalk flour, flower petal tea, green fodder for chickens). So this year my new trial is Fig. I was hesitant due to my climate, but it has taken off and is trying to make some fruit before the first freeze. Very pleasant surprise 😊

[@121homestead9]

It took me two years to get rid of these. Take out all those vines since they seem to grow back. Good luck

[@davidthegood]

Good to know - thank you

[@samuelkorger3567]

I hope you and James do a crossover episode at some point.

[@DessyFerdinandus]

Looking forward

[@stephaniemoore-fuller9082]

Great idea!

[@MyLadySpeaks]

you can always use them to trade or sell too, (if you have the room) some people may like it a lot and have something you don't

[@cantseetheforestforthetree9673]

@davidthegood are you familiar with the southeastern native perennial cucumber Melothria pendula? It’s a perennial cousin to the annual sour Mexican gherkin that makes loads of jellybean sized fruit that look like minierature watermelons and taste like a slightly tart cucumber. They’re hardy, heat and drought tolerant, and continue producing through the whole season while your regular cucumbers whine about the heat and the pests before giving up and dying on you. I would imagine they would fit right in among your grocery rows. I’ve collected seed from the wild here in Middle TN and now have them growing in several spots around my garden where they’re perfect for snacking on as I work along with all the volunteer currant tomatoes.

[@davidthegood]

Yes, I have found them in the wild before. They are fun, but tiny fruit! I planted one this spring and lost it.

[@cheryllariccia2332]

Cucamelons! That’s what I’ve heard them called and I grew them for the first time this year. Love em! They grow like mini cukes too and need trellising if you want to find the melons when picking. 😍

[@stephaniemoore-fuller9082]

I’ve heard them called “mouse melons”, which I love. They’re delicious but tiny.

[@caterjunes3426]

"Try something weird." My favorite life advice ever.

[@honeybadgerisme]

this should be pinned! and maybe a collab link to weird explorer! ❤

[@Leahslittlepatchofparadise]

I ate them as a kid, they grew everywhere on a property we lived on when i was growing up here in Australia, my mum called them prickly cucumbers.

[@maryt8184]

I also grew this, north central florida 9a. It grew well all through July and August when we have very few other choices here. Produced plenty of organic matter plus fruit for wildlife. I give it a thumbs up. Did not re-seed here but I had heavy mulch down. In fairness James probably has better choices for his space in summer but down here we do not.

[@MirrimBlackfox]

Which is a fair reasoning, though there are probably a few other things you can grow that produce more food, but for areas where you are just trying to produce bio mass/cover ground with little effort it looks like a good choice for you!

[@maryt8184]

@@MirrimBlackfox Okra and field peas will grow in our summer heat, daily rain and humidity, but not much else. This is another option.

[@AlternativeHomesteading]

I’m subbed to James. He’s in New Jersey!

[@BelleonyAnneCheese]

I grew some of those accidentally one year here in Tucson. I got some to put in a compost pile once and there you go! I think they taste like cucumber.

[@swampcabbage3239]

Thats awesome that you know and James know each other. your a couple of the handful I watch because your just too good.

[@yukonsmomma3562]

Thanks for testing them and being honest.

[@girlwalkswithgoats]

Buffalo seed company has several varieties of kiwano. Two are landraces. For those interested.

[@leedza]

A bit of salt is all they need. Grew up on these. Prefer them when their yellow, they have a tad bit of sweetness to the tart lemony flavour

[@pedrosalguero5664]

I'm glad you made a video about thes, I live in the desert and these seem perfect for my climate

[@CherylLeMay]

I like them. I take all the pulp out, strain out the seeds and add a little sweetener to taste. To me it tasted like lime jello.

[@vblacktravel]

I've grown bitter melon and nobody in my house except me ate it. It was ultra productive.

[@honeybadgerisme]

I add it to my eggs with onions and maybe some garlic or mushrooms for breakfast. It's actually being researched as a cancer treatment!

[@honeybadgerisme]

My friends take the larger bitter melon, scoop out the seeds, put in ground meat in the center and cook it together. It's supposed to be extremely healthy.

[@hughbrackett343]

I tried to garden like James Pirgioni. I even got a Yorkie. I still can't match his results. I probably need deeper mulch.

[@humanbeing4368]

😂😢

[@swampcabbage3239]

@@humanbeing4368 he lives in Jersey. its known as the garden state for a reason I guess but yes, his results are insanely awesome there right?

[@everymoment1007]

Ooh we love them. Flavour is cucumber/melon. So juicy and hydrating.

[@YUACOP]

They tasted best for me when they were still green (tastes much like a kiwi then), but right when the yellowing/orange begins to show. Grew 4 plants this year on my deck, in a few 7 gallon grow bags sitting on top of 1 Gallon AC Infinity Reservoirs and let them grow up a few cheap arch trellis I bought on Amazon that I could walk under. They drained the 1 gallon reservoirs every day when they had fruit on. Having them in grow bags helped to avoid overwatering as they dry much faster. I think this combo gave them the right damp soil ratio. In SE Missouri btw. Zone 7b. Gonna give half of them a larger grow bag next year to see what difference it makes. Also, I suggest getting some thick garden gloves (like those used on rose bushes etc) so you can just ignore the thorns. Arch trellis helped to avoid them as well. Didn't have a single one stolen by any squirrels either, unlike other things growing on the deck. Was kinda hoping to see a squirrel try to grab the prickly things.

[@bigjohn52069]

"if people always listen to others nothing would ever be invented"

[@homesecurityshortclipspluse]

I might have to give it a try! I'm always trying to find things that will grow in Las vegas. especially in the hot summer time.

[@GrandmomZoo]

I am with DTG! Invasive useful fast growing anything to grow and feed my food forrest and me is fab!!!! ❤❤❤

[@betsiedeysel316]

Hello from South Africa!! We know them as cucumbers not melons. They are definitely over ripe when yellow. They are much nicer green. First, chill them. Peel them,slice in a bowl, little salt,little vinegar. It's definitely a must in my garden!!

[@kristopherbichsel9230]

Lime jello cucumber mix. I liked them. 3 plant took over a 30x40' area in my yard. The dog thennel grew with them. So, it was 30x40' and 7' tall. It was crazy, they were crazy. I didn't plant them again, i was the only one that ate them.

[@FM-qm5xs]

They don't have much of a taste but if you blend up their guts they make a nice refreshing drink. I like them because they grow in harsh conditions and have a good shelf life. It's worth growing for me for a bit of nutrition for minimal effort. They also look cool.

[@derekmorris7128]

I love these chilled and cut into wedges, they remind me of lime jello with hints of banana - though not as sweet. But very, very refreshing on a hot day. I remember visiting the fruit and spice park sometime in the 1980's near Homestead, FL and they had a printed brochure on these "new" fruits with recipes.

[@sandrabeck8788]

They are so ugly, I’d listen to James. I have such limited growing space, rather grow something I know I’ll eat. You are such an adventurer!

[@HighDesertHusky]

James is the man.

[@michelifig6356]

Oh wow! One yr i planted a banana passionfruit start, this grew instead - never heard or seen them before. Darling googlypants said they were inedible, with those spines i was happy to get rid of them.

[@FirmAdventures]

These melons are a good source of water in dry areas

[@comfortablynumb9342]

Those are interesting. I want to grow Mexican gherkins/ cucamelons. I haven't tried them but I also don't remember hearing anything negative about them.

[@TheWickerShireProject]

We had a dry season in TN and I lost all my melons ( except water melons ) I woulda grew these just to be able to show something for my efforts.

[@aaronhopkins6697]

This went wild in my vegetable garden as well as all through the long grass beside my garden. Hundreds of fruits that i will not grow again, and now i know what the vine is i will be pulling them all out too spikey. Happy Gardening.

[@PRINCESSDREAMYLYN]

didn't look like a waste to grow at the end. free animal food is always a plus.

[@JeanineN87]

Pick them green, just as you start seeing them turn colour. Cut the end off and rub it together, it pulls out the bitterness. Peel, add salt and vinegar and enjoy!

[@drticktock4011]

Just bought some seeds...give it a try

[@qualqui]

Thought at first you had Yellow-skinned Dragon Fruit, at first, they reminded me of those Critter eggs brought back to Earth and sold to that junkyard guy, who later sold them to the ol' lady who painted them with her kindergarten to pass them off as easter eggs, not knowing they'd hatch into Critters.😂but upon closer inspection I see what you mean, their being named Spiny Jelly Melon but if like you say they taste like lime jello then I'm in!😋 And when you cut into one to show us the pulpy interior, it looks like a passion fruit. Hoping the Good Family loves 'em, that is if your family likes jello.

[@joannecordone6831]

I had them as seedlings when James did his review. LOL My kids hated the plant due to the spikes. I did not think the taste was anything special. Always worth the effort to try new things and varieties.

[@cynthialouw2970]

They are delicious and grow so easy!

[@hummingbirdhillhomestead]

We love James lol! and we love growing crazy stuff too! Thanks for trying jelly melons out for us. :)

[@naturalchefshobhan6667]

Someone gave me a couple of little ones to grow. I already knew I probably wouldn't like eating them. They grew like crazy. So we cut them back, but they persisted, but at least didn't strangle other plants. We wont' be growing them again!

[@Choco-Kat]

Vigorous livestock feed is a plus.

[@feralkevin]

I grew these for years and had nearly the exact experience. A lot of kids like them, but the main reason I quit growing them was I hated the texture of the eating experience -- like all the worst parts of cucumber texture IMO.

[@victoriajankowski1197]

On experimentation, after 2 years of spending the winter sharing the house with her spiny majesty our Lulo is fruiting!!

[@ashwillnortje]

Im a South Africa we name them wild cucumbers, if u in the bush u have to servive

[@onionring1531]

They didn't grow very well in my area, think I got about two fruit. I did not even bother to keep the seeds because they clearly wanted a warmer climate.

[@aussieauntynette6892]

I wonder if you will have an influx of them next season in the pig pen or compost from there? As they're so hardy, a true survivor plant for hard conditions, do you think they might survive the pigs gut and germinate like the pumpkins? By the way, I LOVE all your pumpkin 🎃 vids, they're my favourite vege. Loving the watermelon 🍉 ones too. All the best to you, Rachel and all your wonderful family, from Australia 🇭🇲🦘🙏🦘🇭🇲

[@busyrand]

Rebrand them as Dragon Eggs and they'll sell out at the Farmer's Marktet etc....

[@AAHomeGardening]

They have a unique taste

[@RitaBaker-zw2th]

Ha ha... I love James and Tuck!!

[@WilliamMiller-nr5gb]

The Trouble with Tribbles... we'll check back in with you in the next action-packed episode! (What's the Professor say? You gardening rebel, you!) 😂

[@josephsandoval4332]

I love this hilarious video!!

[@jonas3333]

And exactly WHEN is the extremely overdue David the Good vs James Prigioni Rap Battle of History coming out?? :)

[@HitTheDirt]

I want one!

[@orsonzedd]

Imma do it

[@bearsbreeches]

He also said don't grow aronia ( chokeberry) it's so pretty in flower and I mix the berries with other high vit C berries in a winter cordial to ward off colds and flu

[@CosmicGorilla]

Gloves?

[@mushroombob1115]

Tried juiced, slightly diluted, and slightly sweetened. In my experience that is a very pleasant way to eat it. It tastes like a mixture of mild banana, kiwi, lime. Please let me know if you find a good way to juice them because I have not found an easy way

[@CaptivePuppet]

It’s great on salads

[@teresasuderman2199]

SO many people like cucamelons so I tried growing it and I have decided it is not worth my time. Yes they were prolific but we didn't really like them enough to grow again. You never know until you try though

[@nlitenurmind]

I think the kids from 'the outdoor boys' youtube channel were eating those growing wild in Afirica. My cross pollinated cucumbers are enough yuck for me.

[@NgilimaTresor]

I love them

[@honeybadgerisme]

I loove them! 😋

[@joanneoverstreet72]

Fun! 😊🌱💚🌻🐝🐓

[@grahamblackall6305]

Hi David Have you considered calling your next book "Anarcho Gardening"? You, Sir, are a trail blazer! Take care Graham

[@gardeningtroutmaster]

you are so funny , you and James are on the top 3 of my go to for knowledge of gardening, from Northern Ontario Canada zone 4 b

[@gardeningtroutmaster]

innovative ideas

[@kerem7546]

how do you irrigate your garden? i doubled my garden size this year and thought i'd rely on heavy mulching, but alas it was a hot and dry summer so i had a lot of hand watering to do. soon i'll connect irrigation lines to my rain barrel

[@davidthegood]

I carry a hose around if I have to. We've been fortunate to get decent rainfall this year.

[@wiseupfixit7552]

Would you be interesred in a stainless steel tank for water storage or swamp juic, i dont live too far from you? 12ft x5ft horizontal tank.​@@davidthegood

[@davidthegood]

That is an epic tank, I could definitely use it.

[@louisianaprepper13]

You have your own Tuck. See if your pup eats them.

[@mkeyx82]

These things can likely sell well on the market, due to be being unusual. I was not crazy about the taste, but I bought them because they looked unusual.

[@zippy1078]

Is it nutritious? Seems like a good survival plant if the shtf like maypops.

[@Erewhon2024]

Same genus as cucumber and muskmelon. I doubt it has much.

[@terryl.9302]

My understanding is that these odd 'fruit' species are a Medicinal Superfood. Just bought another variety that are smaller, believing what I read. Prep technique might make you change your mind abt taste. (..hoping so in my case ..lol .. (note to self- Wear Gloves.). Momordica = Bitter Melon. Plan to grow, dehydrate & make capsules. May try as a tea? Nah.

[@chessman483]

We grew those and they were the only thing that grew on our farm to start with. Glad the chooks eat them.

[@smas3256]

You are brave

[@theanalyticgardener]

🤣🤣🤣 I think I'll pass on planting this one. 😁

[@levprotter1231]

Have you tried pickling them? I really want to try these.

[@davidthegood]

I have not tried them.

[@lindajohnson4204]

Oh, come on. You have taught your own "Tuck" to follow you in the garden, looking for vegetables to eat. He/she was nosing around the spiny melons, sniffing in an acquisitive manner

[@334trucker9]

The yardlong cucumbers are my favorite! (Armenian Cucumber) Z8

[@davidthegood]

They are very good

[@SandBoxPioneer]

if I like lime Jello and cucumbers should i grow it? I have a short season and like growing different squashes

[@davidthegood]

It's fun to try.

[@1Ggirl1959]

I like those and so does my pig. Seriously! They are spiky though!

[@hazelbellefarm476]

Are the fruits spiny or just the vines?

[@betty8173]

Lol...but always fun to try your own experiments! Well done...

[@hawkspiritweaver6664]

LOL... Now thats funny giving another YT Grower the needle... James can take it but poor Tuck is getting old and might bite your ankles.

[@davidthegood]

James is the man

[@TheTamrock2007]

Will the chickens eat them?

[@Huntnlady7]

Testing, YEAH! Trust but verify.

[@NoNORADon911]

Shots fired! ☠lol

[@ziggybender9125]

I imagine ancient village type people would be attempting to breed them into a better fruit.

[@TaLeng2023]

Maybe that's the best they got them to? For example up until the Renaissance watermelons were pretty meh, you can actually see it got little flesh in old paintings. Maybe plant breeders would do something to kiwano if there's enough demand.

[@arnoldmmbb]

That "James Prigioni" seems like an industrious guy

[@imageword5576]

he's an industry "plant"

[@bigjohn52069]

@@imageword5576 plant for what?

[@humanbeing4368]

@@imageword5576😂 stop it! 😂