Kiwano - African Horned Melon. Growing & Tasting

[@TheRuthlessRuth]

you should try it with sugar or salt :) Super crazy nutritious. It originated in Southern Africa as a desert fruit which helped many a traveler who needed a bite and drink :) you can eat the skin if you're desperate but i would not recommended it normally. The whole fruit is packed full of nutitious value, i personally like the membranes that the seeds are attached to, but they don't have any specific taste, I can imagine it to be a brilliant addition to a smoothie. It's great in salad, over ice-cream, emptied into a glass to drink, on it's own, and great over a fruit salad too. The African Cucumber, Horned Melon, Kiwano, whatever it's called, it is one of my favourites. I've never grown it though, so that's super cool to see :D Oh and you can eat it at pretty much any stage of its life. Green, orange, yellow, both :)

[@Qwinpin]

I grew up eating these & i'm from the southern part... I've only tried them with salt but I'll try with the sugar, someone else on another channel told me to try them with vanilla ice cream & i will ☺😋

[@abraxashernandez6805]

I bought one from a supermarket saved all the seeds.. just for the heck of it threw on my back yard & now I have a baby plant! What a trip 😮

[@imoffendedthatyouareoffended]

I spit out like 20 seeds the first time I ate one and put about 5 or 6 seeds in to germinate. Got 2 to pop in about a week. So excited to see what happens.

[@ahaanhalwai6739]

I love eating Kiwanos even though they taste like sweet cucumber

[@clintduplechain6942]

That’s awesome! Where do you live?

[@alliixxtis]

The crop is a cucumber, its grown in a one or two northern provinces of Zimbabwe, its best eaten while young, that is before the plant start to die and the fruit is still green, it taste like cucumber. this is very good crop and yield is very good always. So you can eat what you can and leave some for drought periods, which is often where its grown, that is were that ripe one is eaten, its very easy to store, and not prone to many disease.... i havent seen that fruit for years, thanks for sharing ....its called mashonja in zimbabwe.

[@gogophiri]

magaka e minzwa in Shona Zimbabwean language👌

[@carofungai]

Mwari wangu. Mashonja mathimbi(mopani worm). These grow all across Zimbabwe and are called Magaka in Shona.

[@DeliciousDodza]

Kkkk waakunzwa zvimweka nhai. Ndasuwa magaka ini.

[@jardindedom-mage]

Olà 👍🏼 merci beaucoup pour les renseignements 😉 c'est un légumes ? j'en ai acheté un et je vais faire ds semis j'ai une petite chaîne jardin en Algarve 🍊🍌🍋 au sud du Portugal 🇵🇹 bienvenue amicalement dom 😘 et à bientôt 💌

[@julietecho7576]

I got one of these for 8 dollars! worth every bit. It was delicious, like a mildly unripe banana and cucumber! Also I had a fruit tasting adventure with a passion fruit and they were super good mixed together as well! Now I have two sets of seeds drying out for my next adventure~ Keep up the work with the videos! Now if only I could find a feijoa here in the states! I want to grow one soo bad!

[@raappant]

We grow kiwanos every summer in our greenhouse. Sometimes they take until autumn to start flowering and the fruits must be picked unripe before the winter freezes everything. The fruits keep ripening in a bucket on a kitchen shelf and sometimes it takes half a year before last ones are orange and ripe. They can be stored insanely long in room temperature. Kids love to eat the "frogspawn" with some added sugar. Just cut the fruit half and then squeeze the insides in a bowl.

[@aliceinwonderland1339]

*pushes half of the seeds in the fruit out while trying to get one little scoop*

[@BlakesNaturelife]

That’s really awesome! I started growing two few months back. They have two larger size fruits on it now. The small horn melons with the flower on it need the Male flowers pollen. You’ll see them they don’t have a fruit behind it. So I used a Q-tip and touched on the male and female flowers.

[@TheKiwiGrower]

Wow congrats! Good pollination tip too :)

[@gogophiri]

did it work have you got some kiwanos now?

[@jonandervrouws1324]

I've only just (2 weeks ago) started doing this (Experimenting with seed etc) as a hobby and I'm really enjoying it so far. I just started pineapple from seed 2 days ago and they already sprouted some roots. I'm even thinking of renting some public gardening space (my garden is small) Anyways, getting to the point. I would like to thank you for making video's, they are really relaxing, they inspired me and showed me that I can grow tropicals in cold climates too with a little bit of effort.

[@whatever4382]

These grow wild in the sugar cane fields of North Queensland, (Australia), and are locally known as Prickly Cucumbers. We used to cut them in half then sprinkle sugar on them and they were delicious.

[@jesseruby6533]

Anyone think the fruit was a LOT bigger before he put his hand on it??

[@Ashwyndhankhar]

jesse ruby yes i did 😂😂😂

[@bettycarter4404]

Takes a while for the flowers to appear. Once the flowers starts you'll be overwhelmed with the amount it produces.

[@jamesgowenloch6093]

Kiwano/African Horned Cucumber can be used as a vegetable when mainly green and a fruit when golden all over, probably would make a good relish.

[@blackterror89]

Nice video! I bought this fruit today because...it was weird. I cut it open and didn't know what the hell to do. This fruit is not what I expected..all those seeds!!!!!I Was glad to know I could just scoop it out with a spoon. It does remind me of a semi sweet cucumber. I didn't hate it. I had to eat the entire fruit to completely digest the flavor. So in the end, I would probably try it again.

[@dolfielee7717]

Hi i'm from SA and this plant you can grow in full sun don't need a lot of water. We call this plant a wild cucumber. It grows wild in grasslands.

[@GlitchGoblin]

I love these, they are so good, I only get 1 or 2 Kiwanos every few years, but it is worth looking all over the place just to get my hands on these.

[@samiamnot8906]

They are really easy to grow!

[@warrenlc57]

I read you can juice them and add a little sugar for a refreshing drink. Thank you for the video.

[@biancapotgieter724]

Cut off the spikes ,cut in rings add vinegar salt and pepper or green chilles its yummy it's our snack in Africa

[@HardyPalmTreesUtah]

how cool! I love kiwanos! cant wait to see the kiwanos on the plant when they are fully grown!

[@ljherald]

i'm going kiwanos for the first time this year, and they blew up in my garden. other than that, they're delicious. when they're more ripe they have a slight citrus taste.

[@abinailedit]

The ones i found in my local market, were really good! Also very sweet!

[@mashakalinkina7207]

Theyre delicious!!

[@missbossy6114]

You're suppose to cut the skin off & then cut it how you could cut a cucumber. No scooping. Depending on your taste buds, you can add salt.

[@GraftingTactick]

I've never seen this spike melons before. Thanks for sharing 💕

[@TheKiwiGrower]

No worries, they're pretty crazy looking ay!

[@landofBuds]

How do you harvest the seeds? Are they just simply picked out and dried? Or do they need fermenting like tomato seeds? Great video cheers from California.

[@maorimatrix]

Awesome to see you back wow ive always wondered what they tasted like and was almost tempted to buy one but the ones i saw were much bigger, will deffinately get one next time for a try, please keep your vids coming as you are a breath of fresh air compared to the other crazy stuff on here that i find myself watching lol cant wait for your future vids thanks. #lovegardening!#

[@Josh_Green44]

Hey, Kalem! Nice kiwano plants. Last summer at the farm where I worked, we grew a 12' x 12' bed of kiwano and it was outrageously productive. Ours didn't ripen in time for me to sample (I returned to work when school resumed), but I've heard they're only good when fully orange ripe. We did enter some unripe fruits at the local Fair, and we won first place for these unique melons :-)

[@phantomcreamer]

Excellent, I've got Kiwano seedlings started this year. How long did it take to grow them to this point? Also does it taste much sweeter than a cucumber?

[@gogophiri]

we have lots of these in Zimbabwe. they are very refreshing in the hot weather.

[@DeliciousDodza]

And very cheap. Surprised people are selling them for a lot of money overseas coz they are rare

[@andriesjackson]

You can also eat the leaves like spinach

[@andriesjackson]

They grow very easy from seed - you can get more than 100 cucumbers from one plant - just save some of those seeds on paper after you clean them and plant in spring - They also take over the garden :-)

[@metalElvalover]

I just had one of these for the first time a couple of days ago and it's one of the most tasteless fruits I've ever had. It's not bad at all, just not really much flavor at all. But I cut it in half the other way and just squeezed it into my mouth, and that was a fun slimy interesting sensation. I think I enjoyed that sensation more than the fruit itself hahaha.

[@NorthTropics]

My kiwano got huge this year! I think they taste pretty good.

[@huehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehuehue]

Don't leave the door to the greenhouse open. It would take over the world in minutes.

[@arunkale2865]

The place look like paradise

[@panayiotaryall1517]

I love Kiwano which we have always called "wild cucumbers"... if anyone can send me seeds in South Africa, I'll be very happy as we no longer have them after a move. To prepare Kiwano, cut both ends off... then stand it upright and slice the skin off all round... then lie it down and cut rings as you would a cucumber... they are nice with salt and pepper if you wish. Thank you for the video... we never knew the real name for them before now.

[@zuditaka]

You silly sausage! Try the ripe pulp over plain vanilla icecream. It makes a wonderful dessert, that way. They taste divine as an icecream topping. Kiwanos are MADE for going on vanilla icecream. Kiwanos do leave a slight aftertaste in the mouth, but it's offset by the sweetness of the icecream. Very refreshing and cooling fruit. Called "hedgehog" melons in the UK. I think in Australia we should call them "echidna" melons. They grow as easily as cucumbers, outdoors.They're from the Kalahari area

[@PinkChucky15]

Aww the baby Kiwano looks very cute...and a little creepy too lol

[@dmjones7022]

Nice video, I was wondering did you get a chance to do an update? I grew the kiwano melon in my garden this year and have around a dozen melons on the vine. This is my third year trying to grow this plant and my first year of success. $2.99 is cheap compared to the price of $7.00 USD that the melons go for here in the U.S.

[@OopsWrongNumber]

I love those fruit!!! So good

[@tamika0843]

hi was wondering what month do u plant them???how long do thay take to grow! and when do harvest what month please can u let me know thanks!!

[@rebeccacornel8199]

those baby fruit look so cute :-)....nice video

[@organicgardening987]

OMG! OMG! When i saw the before and after pictures, just WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its HUGE! Beautiful fruit, i tasted it once but it wasnt sweet. :)

[@stephaniesimon3608]

My mouth is watering!!

[@seochangbin2737]

I bought one today:) i loved it!

[@Gg8YRwnc3e]

6:09 "Bananary taste" :D

[@FourLifeProductions]

IMO it tastes like banana peel and cucumber...but it works. Wish I could find them where I live. Good vid.

[@ManicMark1779]

these are in the same genus as cantaloupe and honeydew, seeing a hybrid would be awesome

[@nettyabbott5412]

Flavour is a mix, banana, lime & apple, grow prolific in Australia & the seeds are hard so like passionfruit suck & swallow lol

[@carpediem.9]

the 1st time I tasted a kiwano I had the impression of tasting & smelling a cucumber, it wasn't sweet at all, even though the fruit was much brighter orange than the one you have here, it was definitely strange not bad but not very good either :) maybe I should give it another go :)

[@Aron336699]

O Man you are so luckey. Plantgrowing is my dream, and you are living it :-) I wish I could be you :-P Keep up the good work

[@samiamnot8906]

The best way to eat these is to peel the whole fruit and cut into thickish slices and eat them as pieces, that way you get the full textural experience, like slimy, sweet and sour bubblewrap. They are my favourite thing to grow in the garden. You lose 80% of the experience if you scoop the seeds out rather than eating as slices.

[@small-timegarden]

Is it similar tasting to gherkins? Of a ripe cucmber?

[@twitchy_bird]

I think it tastes like a starfruit mixed with a cucumber and an unripe banana

[@hq0013]

haha my first taste of kiwano was more disappointing than dragonfruit. It's awesome that you are growing this but honestly I had think there's much you can do with a bumper crop of kiwano~

[@barrycartwright8400]

wow i paid £3.95 for one i guess the taste was all right and i all so kept some of the seeds to try and grow some this year 😁

[@billybobjojackmacoy8903]

hey I saw those same pods on Invasion of the Body Snatchers, be careful dude!

[@andriesjackson]

I eat them green like cucumber you can also cut in pieces and preserve them in vinager.

[@AGMRevi3ws]

"under here's a wooden shelf with all my pot plants on it". that can totally be misunderstood XD

[@erikbielski9370]

The reason why it isn't fruiting or flowering very much is because its putting all of its energy and nutrients into new foliage. If you constantly cut it back over and over again, they should grow a lot more fruit

[@thewildingslanding]

Cool surprise!

[@yolandagarichi7292]

this fruit is eaten like a cucumber, you cut of the spikes and cut it like a cucumber into thin circles, sprinkle a little salt.. tastes better than eating it with a spoon

[@andalora91]

how do you know when it's ripe? i just bought one and am excited to try :)

[@sabbateus]

Its ripe when it's VERY orange :)

[@tinaperez2577]

I miss eating exotic fruits I call them the passionate fruits they are delicious and worth the pricy price.

[@jojozepofthejungle2655]

I think you better look again at that tiny path. I seen a yellow fruit I think under there 🤔

[@tjbucalon825]

we should call it the Puffer fish fruit.

[@tjbucalon825]

haha. ann!

[@imoffendedthatyouareoffended]

Tim Bucalon it is actually known as that name.

[@haydenbrayton]

I bet the ones you grew tasted a lot better!

[@GetMikeNyce]

Hey how was the summer in NZ this growing season ?

[@zuzkavajbarova]

Nice plant

[@drewdogg-]

How long does it take for the seeds to come to seedling? Help

[@leavingitblank9363]

Grass. That's the flavor you're searching for. It tastes like grass.

[@chunfu2]

Hello TheKiwiGrower I've got something that you might wanna try to grow. Have you tried watermelon, honeydews???

[@barbjephson]

They use to grow these in Kaukakapakapa north island NZ!

[@barbjephson]

Fascinating!

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

anyone know why my Kiwano vines winter bloom??? mine are at least 20 feet, I've had to wind, and tuck them everywhere on my fences, there's no more room so now they are running along the ground and over the neighbors fences

[@KyzaMizu]

I was eating one while watching this video.

[@momo17083]

I ate one before watching this video

[@ingiewingie]

Lol yup me too. First time trying it. Wish it wasn't so hard to eat cause I like the taste

[@momo17083]

ingiewingie do you now how to grow them?

[@terceldude]

Can you eat these? What do they taste like? :)

[@kentpaul8484]

Don't use spoon to scoop it out, just cut in half and squeeze it in to a bow. Use a Stand Mixers to loose seeds from the flesh if you don't want to eat seeds.

[@Qwinpin]

How long till your plants grew to that flowering stage?

[@TheKiwiGrower]

A few months :)

[@anglofrancaiseyvonne9349]

We skin it , slice it salt and vinegar... Yummy

[@twinkywinky426563]

what do you do with what you cut off of the plant?

[@momo17083]

@ThekiwiGrower how long does it take for a kiwano plant to gives fruit

[@AhmedAli-ve1tk]

This is not a melon it's a cucumber and we have lots of them in Bangladesh .

[@Lycantis]

Same as watermelons and common cucumbers, they are a type of vine berries. All squash like pumpkins and zucchini are also in this same fruit category. They are not vegetables at all either. Most people think of fruit as sweet, but avocados are fruit and definitely not sweet.

[@uwev.5342]

Lycantis k Tipp Opa bequem da äeedgu66

[@Lycantis]

Uwe V. In English please? I did not understand the comment, my apologies.

[@jessicagardner6239]

I just bought one here (Canada) and it was $3.49, which I thought was expensive. Where does it cost $6.99?

[@AKSBSU]

My first try eating one of these was a bit of a disaster. It was too bitter and not ripe enough. Perhaps it should be a darker shade like the one in the end of the video. Mine was still bright orange.

[@JonyBuss]

WOW YEAP I GOT A BUNCH BIG JUNGLE HERE TOO JAJAJA KIWANO AWESOME!

[@JonyBuss]

yeap they are hard to find but there is a bunch i bet

[@greencity22]

LOL for the first few seconds I thought the melon was as big as a watermelon! (first time seeing a Kiwano)

[@CrispinFreemont]

Saw these at Whole Foods, King Soopers, Sprouts, and Pacific Market. Glad I didn't buy one. Your greenhouse is spectacular.

[@zquish6239]

I love kiwanos!

[@markvlahos3289]

😋🍉

[@patrickotte5982]

I have one in a pot, and it kept getting chomped on by javelina, and now it’s too big and too spiky for them now.

[@ednafourie1248]

It is suppose to grow in dessert like places, not a greenhouse or a soil rich garden. It is a hardy plant. Watch 18 health benefits of kiwanofruit on youtube. The fleshy part is the most healthy. I juice it with other veggies.

[@sirBR4DFORD]

to me it has a mixed taste of kiwi fruit, grape and banana all in one

[@ThePaleoAgrarianist]

Can they grow outside of a greenhouse in a coolish climate (zone4-5)?

[@samiamnot8906]

Yes.

[@Arthur-yy7pi]

LMFAO watch at 4:00 and 40 seconds with cc on and it says "and lesbo seats just like cucumber" lmfao

[@Fotsirvelk]

banana cucumber, just what i would describe it as well

[@tryagain3813]

Watermelon orange lime but it looks fire tho

[@sheldonvern]

its not all about taste lol and maybe you tried a bad one

[@MrDanielHawes]

Hows that dragon fruit growing?!

[@missmima2380]

why didnt you let it grow like on a bow like a grapevine :P?

[@candacemccrary9614]

do you eat seed with juice or sepatre??

[@nyashac4446]

cut out the thorns, peel the skin then eat everything else.

[@jg1019]

It is in the cucumis genus So i would consider it a cucumber.

[@andriesjackson]

I prefer the taste when they are still green.

[@witchingsunshine]

i would like to have some seeds of the african honed melon so i can grow them.