BOLIVIAN CUCUMBER

LIKE MORE FAMILIAR CUCURBITS, THIS FRUIT OF THE ANDES IS A PEPO OR BERRY THAT’S COOKED AND CONSUMED AS A VEGETABLE

Words Jennifer Stackhouse

I’d plonk achocha firmly in the oddball category. It’s rarely on the menu or on sale in supermarkets so, to try it, you’ll have to either grow it or take a trip to South America where it’s widely grown and eaten. Also known as caigua or Bolivian cucumber, it tastes like a cross between a cucumber and a zucchini and young fruit can be used as a cucumber substitute. Achocha is part of the large cucurbit family that includes cucumber and, indeed, zucchini. Rich in vitamin C, it counts among its traditional medicinal uses the lowering of blood cholesterol. The elongated, choko-shaped fruit usually has soft spikes on its green skin. Inside, it resembles a cucumber with large seeds set in crisp greenish white flesh. The fruit isn’t big; it ranges from 10 to…

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Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, 15.3

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