Achocha Seeds - Cyclanthera Brachybotrys - Delicious & Abundant
Quantity: 6 Seeds
Achocha, also known as Cyclanthera Brachybotrys, is a real gem. When young, it can be eaten fresh like any gherkin, but as it develops, it becomes hollow, and becomes best suited for stuffing and frying. We personally enjoy them most when they’re stuffed. Their flavour is amazing, and they pair well with many different foods and flavours. The fruits grow on far spreading, highly prolific vines that’ll produce a heavy crop until frost. Although they fruit all summer and autumn long, their production truly shines the most when the cucumber plants begin dying off; this really helps to stretch out the growing season. Also, the spines are benign; they feel much like soft rubber, and won’t bother your hands or mouth when eating them. Some people describe the flavour of the fruit to be a combination of cucumber and green pepper. I don’t entirely agree; although it does taste a bit like cucumbers, it definitely has its’ own unique flavour. If you’re looking to diversify your garden and diet, I highly recommend growing this vegetable.
Something to note, there are a few varieties of Cyclanthera out there, and we’ve tried this one, as well as the more common C. Pedata. We find this variety to be far superior as it’s much tastier, and it doesn’t curl open and explode when ripe like a peeling banana. Also, as a fun bonus, the numerous rubber-like spines make this fruit extremely attractive, and can add a gourmet flare to just about any dish.
All Seeds are organic and open pollinated.
Growing Instructions
For the highest yields, It’s best to start Achocha seeds indoors about 2-4 weeks before the last frost; we start them here on the farm in mid march. It's good to sow the seeds in a sterile growing medium; most available seed starting soils should do the job nicely; we use sunshine mix (peat moss and perlite). The soil should be made moist, but not damp. Sow the seeds 1/4 - 1/2 inch below the soil surface. Store in a warm area until tiny sprouts emerge from the soil. A heat mat greatly aids in this step, but is not necessary. Once germinated, the first true leaf or two has formed, and nighttime temperatures don't dip below 8°C, then it's time to transplant them to their final location. For us at the farm, this is around early May. These plants prefer to grow in full sun, and will handle just about any type of soil or PH. The plants are drought, flood, deer, and pest resistant.