Achocha (Bolivian cucumber) Cyclanthera pedata 20 Seeds

This exotic-looking annual vegetable is also known as caygua, pepino relleno or “slipper gourd”. It is native to the Andes mountains of Peru, like so many of our best vegetables and is in the cucumber family. Delicate yet fast-growing vines will quickly cover a trellis and bear 3 inch oblong fruits that taste similar to cucumber. Many varieties bear soft, edible spines but this variety makes fruits that are almost completely smooth. They are great eaten raw when young, about an inch long, and might make great crunchy pickles at this stage too. Later, the seeds get tough and the insides get pithy, so they are hollowed out and stuffed or added to soups in the traditional South American style. Strange black seeds finally develop, looking like slivers of burnt wood, truly unique! They could be roasted like pumpkin seeds and the young leaves and tendrils are also edible.I think this would make an excellent summer privacy screen if given a moist position on a trellis. The vines grow even faster than cucumbers in spring and are unbothered by pests and diseases. The flowers are popular with pollinators but do not begin to set fruits until early fall. However, they are highly productive once they begin and you will have loads of fruits in October before they succumb to frost.There are other related species as well as a “giant” variety of achocha with similar flavor and growing needs. This variety should be spaced 1-2 ft apart on a trellis or farther apart if allowed to sprawl.