GARDEN
C AROLE TOPALIAN
KOBCHAI MATASUR AWIT
edible
Pepinos, Cukes & Melons by Joan S. Bolton
“A
lways growing” may describe the seasonal edibles thriving in our gardens just as easily as it describes the way many of us continuously seek to learn more about gardening. For me, I’m always eager to try new techniques, trends and hot plants. Straw bale gardening? Check. Hops? Check. Goji berries? Check. The latest “it” plant? Meet pepino dulce, a fetching egg-shaped fruit that bears cream-colored skin suffused with watercolor brush strokes of dark purple and delivers a sweet, mild flavor. As proof of its widespread appeal, pepino dulce has transcended the gardening world and emerged on fashion pages. I recently received a clothing catalog that featured on its cover a petite pepino delicately perched on the crest of a saddlebag purse.
22 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA SPRING 2019
What’s the Fuss? In Spanish, pepino dulce means sweet cucumber. But while its melon-like flesh offers hints of cucumber and honeydew, the new novelty is neither cucumber nor melon. Instead, it’s an evergreen member of the solanaceae or nightshade family, which encompasses tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplants and potatoes. It’s from frost-free areas in the Andes ranging from near sea level to 10,000 feet and dates back to the Incans. Pepino dulce is not a well-known commercial crop. It bruises easily and is fragile to ship. Production is primarily limited to South America, New Zealand and Australia. Some specialty companies, such as Frieda’s, import the fruit to the United States.
