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This is a blog about the pursuits of Naturalist Alan Russo to incorporate all things Natural, especially Plants, into his daily life. Living close to Nature has always been a passion of mine and I try, with natures help, to live a Healthy lifestyle for myself and for the Earth.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Mango Melons

   A friend of mine brought me some Mango Melons to try awhile back which she got from the Farmers that supplied her CSA. I had never heard of these before so I gave them a try and they were pretty good. I kept the seeds and the next year I built a trellis for the vine to climb and planted the seeds at the base. Every one of the vines grew and I had a plethora of Mango Melons and have turned many a person on to these tiny melons. I have grown them every year since.
  Mango Melons or Vine Peaches as they are sometimes called, are small yellow Melons that grow on a readily climbing vine. The largest ones barely get to the size of a baseball. The anatomy is that of any other Melon except shrunk down proportionately, so there isn't that much flesh once you scoop out the seeds. The biggest complaint I hear from others is that what they get from them isn't worth the hassle of growing/harvesting/preparing them.
Cut Open



Seeds Scooped Out and Flesh Removed
They are also not as sweet as some other melons, another complaint I hear. The flesh is tangy maybe a little bit sour in some of the fruits. Maybe that why I like them so much, I like sour foods. I
 I got so many Melons this year I decided to freeze some to use for smoothies etc. I fleshed the melons and laid them out on a dish, keeping them separated so they don't stick together, then stuck them in the freezer to harden.
Ready for the freezer.
I like to make a "sorbet" with the frozen Melons. Just add water and frozen Melons to a blender and puree to a smooth consistency. Add some sweetener if you like or instead of water use coconut milk or other liquid to experiment with. Add them to your regular smoothies or just eat them the way they are as a snack. My friend puts Melons in her dehydrator for a chewy snack.
Mango Melon Sorbet!
If you think you might like to grow Mango Melons I have some Organic seed for sale HERE