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Fruits & Vegetables Herbs & Plants

Muskmelon

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Botanical Name: Cucumis dudaim
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Cucumis
Species: C. melo
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Cucurbitales

Common Names: Muskmelon (Cucumis melo), Pickling Melon

Habitat:Probably Cucumis dudaim is native of Asia, though it has been in cultivation for so long its native habitat is obscure. Derived through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.

Description:
Cucumis melo conomon is an annual creeping plant, growing to 1.5 m (5ft). It is frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to September, and the seeds ripen from Aug to October. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects.The plant is self-fertile…….CLICK  &  SEE THE PICTURES

Cultivation:
Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a warm, very sunny position. A frost-tender annual plant, the pickling melon is occasionally cultivated in gardens and commercially, especially in warmer climates than Britain, for its edible fruit. This form is also of value in breeding programmes for disease resistance. Some varieties may succeed outdoors in Britain in hot summers but in general it is best to grow melons under protection in this country. This form of the melon probably has a better chance of succeeding outdoors than the other forms – see the list of cultivars for suggested forms to grow. Grows well with corn and sunflowers but dislikes potatoes. The weeds fat hen and sow thistle improve the growth and cropping of melons.

Propagation:
Seed – sow early to mid spring in a greenhouse in a rich soil. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin out to the best plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts, giving them cloche or frame protection for at least their first few weeks if you are trying them outdoors.

Edible Uses :
Edible Parts: Fruit; Oil; Seed.
Edible Uses:….> Oil.

Fruit – raw or cooked. The fruit is more often cooked, often as a savoury dish. They can be chopped finely and used as a seasoning in salads and soups. Both mature and immature fruits are made into sweet or sour pickles. Seed – raw. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat. The seed contains between 12.5 – 39.1% oil. An edible oil is obtained from the seed…..CLICK &  SEE..>…....FRUITS.……....SEEDS
Medicinal Uses:
The fruits can be used as a cooling light cleanser or moisturiser for the skin. They are also used as a first aid treatment for burns and abrasions. The flowers are expectorant and emetic. The fruit is stomachic. The seed is antitussive, digestive, febrifuge and vermifuge. When used as a vermifuge, the whole seed complete with the seed coat is ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purge in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body. The root is diuretic and emetic.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskmelon
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cucumis+melo+conomon

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Cucumis melo

Botanical Name :  Cucumis melo
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Cucumis
Species: C. melo
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Cucurbitales

Synonym: Musk Melon.

Common Names : cantaloupe, Persian melon and Santa Claus or Christmas melon,

The Armenian cucumber is also a variety of muskmelon, but its shape, taste, and culinary uses more closely resemble those of a cucumber. The large number of cultivars in this species approaches that found in wild cabbage, though morphological variation is not as extensive. It is a fruit of a type called pepo. Muskmelon is native to Persia (Iran), Anatolia, Armenia, and adjacent areas on the west and the east which is believed to be their center of origin and development, with a secondary center including the northwest provinces of India and Afghanistan. Although truly wild forms of C. melo have not been found, several related wild species have been noted in those regions.

Habitat: The Melon is a native of South Asia-from the foot of the Himalayas to Cape Comorin, where it grows wild – but is cultivated in the temperate and warm regions of the whole world.

Description:
Cucumis melo is an annual, trailing herb, with large palmately-lobed leaves and bears tendrils, by which it is readily trained over trellises. Its flowers (which have bellshaped corollas, deeply five-lobed) are either male or female, both kinds being borne on the one plant. The male flowers have three stamens, the ovary in the female flowers, three cells. The many varieties of Melon show great diversity in foliage and still more in the size and shape of the fruit, which in some kinds is as small as an olive, in others as large as the Gourd (Cucurbita maxima). Some are globular, others egg-shaped, spindle-shaped or serpent-like, the outer skin smooth or netted, ribbed or furrowed, and variously coloured; the flesh, white, green or orange when ripe, scented or scentless, sweet or insipid, some bitter and even nauseous.
CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES
Muskmelons are monoecious plants. They do not cross with watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, or squash, but varieties within the species intercross frequently. The genome of Cucumis melo L. was first sequenced in 2012

Medicinal Uses:
-The root of the Common Melon is purgative, and in large doses (7 to 10 grains) is said to be a certain emetic, the active and bitter principle having been called Melon-emetin.

The MELON-TREE, so-called, is the PAPAW, or Papaya (Carica Papaya, Linn.), a native of tropical America, where it is everywhere cultivated for its edible fruit and digestive properties.

The dried juice is largely used in the treatment of indigestion, under various trade names, ‘Papain,’ a white powder, being administered in all digestive disorders where albuminoid substances pass away undigested.

Click & see : What Are Cantaloupes Good For?

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumis_melo
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/melons30.html

Categories
Fruits & Vegetables Herbs & Plants

Cucumber

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Botanical Name :Cucumis sativa
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus:     Cucumis
Species: C. sativus
Kingdom: Plantae
Order:     Cucurbitales

Other Names:
Burmese: Thakhwa.
Danish: Agurk
Dutch: Komkommer
English: Cucumber, Cultivated cucumber
Finnish: Kurkku
French: Concombre
German: Gurke
Italian: Cetriolo
Hindi: Kheera (khira), Kakri, Kakdi, Tihu.

FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS .
The cucurbit family includes species such as the gourd, watermelons, cantaloupes, squash and pumpkins. Cucurbits are known as the vine crops due to their growth, habit, and culture. Most plants in this species have a spreading growth habit with tendrils at the leaf axils. These plants are warm season, tender annuals, that require hot weather to develop fruit.


Other family members include:

Benincasa hispida L.; Uax Gourd
Citrullus lunatus (Thung.) Mansf .; Watermelon
Citrullus lunatus var. citroides (Bailey) Mansf.; Citron, Preserving Melon
Cucumis anguria L.; West Indian Gherkin
Cucumis melo L. (Chito group); Mango Melon, Garden Lemon
Cucumis melo L. (Conomon group); Melon, Oriental Pickling Melon
Cucumis melo L. (Flexuosus group); Armonian Cucumber, Japanese Cucumber, Uri
Cucumis melo L. (Inodorus group); Melon, Muskmelon, Winter Melon
Cucumis melo L. (Reticulatus group); Melon, Muskmelon, Cantaloupe
Cucurbita maxima Dutch.; Winter Squash, Pumpkin
Cucurbita mixta Pang.; Pumpkin
Cucurbita moschata Poir.; Winter Squash, Pumpkin
Cucurbita pepo L.; Winter Squash, Marrow, Summer Squash, Pumpkin
Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.; Bottle Gourd
Luffa acutangula Roxb.; Angled Loofah
Luffa cylindrica Roem.; Smooth Loofah
Momordica charantia L.; Bitter Gourd, Balsam Pear
Sechium edile S.W.; Chayote
Telfairia spp.; Oyster Nut
Trichosanthes anquina L.; Snake Gourd

.
History
The cucumber has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years in Western Asia, and was probably introduced to other parts of Europe by the Romans. Records of cucumber cultivation appear in France in the 9th Century, England in the 14th Century, and in North America by the mid-16th Century.

The cucumber was mentioned in the Bible, and was being grown in North Africa, Italy, Greece, Asia Minor, and other areas at the beginning of the Christian era. In England the crop was first introduced in the 1300s, but not cultivated until 250 years later. Columbus planted seeds in Haiti, and by 1539 cucumbers were grown in Florida by the natives, reaching Virginia by 1584. Today cucumbers are grown all over the world for pickling (picklers) and fresh markets (slicers). Cucumbers grown in greenhouses have traditionally been grown near cities, mostly in the northeastern U.S. The southwest has become an ideal place for greenhouse cucumber production because of high light intensities there.
Cucumis sativus Common slicing and pickling cucumber. They are the same species, used differently, yet the flavor and texture are very similar.
Cucumis anguria are the Gherkin type that originated from West India

Botany
The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around ribbing with thin, spiraling tendrils. The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit.

CLICK & SEE PICTURES OF CUCUMBER PLANT

The fruit is roughly cylindrical, elongated, with tapered ends, and may be as large as 60 cm long and 10 cm in diameter. Cucumbers grown to be eaten fresh (called slicers) and those intended for pickling (called picklers) are similar.

Varieties
English cucumbers can grow as long as 2 feet. They are nearly seedless and are sometimes marketed as “Burpless,” as the seeds give some people gas.
.
Japanese cucumbers (kyūri) are mild, slender, deep green, and have a bumpy, ridged skin. They can be used for slicing, salads, pickling, etc., and are available year-round.
Mediterranean cucumbers are small, smooth-skinned and mild. Like the English cucumber, Mediterranean cucumbers are nearly seedless.
.
Slicers grown commercially for the North American market are generally longer, smoother, more uniform in color, and have a tougher skin. Slicers in other countries are smaller and have a thinner, more delicate skin.In North America the term “wild cucumber” refers to manroot.

Click to see the picture

Cucumbers are fruit
Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, cucumbers are scientifically classified as a fruit. Much like tomatoes and squash, however, their sour-bitter flavor contributes to cucumbers being perceived, prepared and eaten as vegetables, despite the scientific classification.

As a food
The fruit is commonly harvested while still green, though generally after the fruits outgrow their spines. They are eaten as a vegetable, either raw, cooked, or made into pickled cucumbers. Although less nutritious than most fruit, the fresh cucumber is still a source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium, also providing dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6, thiamin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese. Cucumbers are used in the decorative food art, garde manger.

Pickling
Main article: Pickled cucumber
Some people think cucumbers taste better pickled. Cucumbers can be pickled for flavour and longer shelf life. As compared to eating cucumbers, pickling cucumbers tend to be shorter, thicker, less regularly-shaped, and have bumpy skin with tiny white- or black-dotted spines. They are never waxed. Color can vary from creamy yellow to pale or dark green. Pickling cucumbers are sometimes sold fresh as “Kirby” or “Liberty” cucumbers. The pickling process removes or degrades much of the nutrient content, especially that of vitamin C. Pickled cucumbers are soaked in vinegar or brine or a combination, often along with various spices.

Parts Used
The edible parts are fruits, seeds and leaves.

Cucumbers grown for pickling (picklers) and those grown for fresh market (slicers) are the same species. Fruit of fresh market cucumbers are longer, smooth rather than bumpy, have a more uniform green skin color and a tougher, glossier skin than fruit of picklers.

Chemical constituents
The dietary value of Cucumber is negligible, there being upwards of 96 per cent water in its composition. The oil in the cucumber contains 22.3% linoleic acid, 58.5% oleic acid, 6.8% palmitic acid and 3.7% stearic acid.

The fresh cucumber is a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium. It also contains vitamin A, vitamin B6, thiamin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese.

Nutritional Value of cucumber:

Calories……………….39……….% Calories from Fat……………7.8
Total Fat (g)…………0.4………..% Calories from Carbohydrates….73.8
Saturated Fat (g)……..0.1………..% Calories from Protein……….18.5
Monounsaturated Fat (g)..0.0………..% Refuse……………………..3.0
Polyunsaturated Fat (g)..0.2………….Vitamin C (mg)……………..16
Cholesterol (mg)………0……………Vitamin A (i.u.)…………..647
Carbohydrate (g)………8.3………….Vitamin B6 (mg)……………..0.13
Dietary Fiber (g)……..2.4………….Vitamin B12 (mcg)……………0
Protein (g)…………..2.1………….Thiamin B1 (mg)……………..0.07
Sodium (mg)…………..6……………Riboflavin B2 (mg)…………..0.07
Potassium (mg)………433……………Folacin (mcg)………………39.1
Calcium (mg)…………42……………Niacin (mg)…………………0.7
Iron (mg)…………….0.8………….Caffeine (mg)……………….0.0
Zinc (mg)…………….0.6………….Alcohol (g)…………………0.0
.

Daily Values:

………………………..% Daily Value (2000 Cal diet)……… % Daily Value (2500 Cal diet)
Total Fat (g): 0.4………………1%…………………………………0%
Saturated Fat (g): 0.1…………..0%…………………………………0%
Cholesterol (mg): 0……………..0%…………………………………0%
Sodium (mg): 6………………….0%…………………………………0%
Carbohydrate (g): 8.3……………3%…………………………………2%
Dietary Fiber (g): 2.4…………..10%………………………………..8%
Protein (g): 2.1………………..4%…………………………………3%

Culinary Uses
They are eaten as a vegetable, raw or cooked, or made into pickled cucumbers.
The cucumber is a common ingredient of salads, being valued mainly for its crisp texture and juiciness.
The fruit is said to be indigestible due to the high cellulose content.

Medicinal Uses
The leaf juice is emetic; it is used to treat dyspepsia in children.
The seed is cooling, diuretic, tonic and vermifuge. The emulsion made by bruising Cucumber seeds and rubbing them up with water is much used in catarrhal infections and diseases of the bowels and urinary passages.
The fruit is depurative, diuretic, emollient, purgative and resolvent. The fresh fruit is used internally in the treatment of blemished skin, heat rash etc, and also used externally as a medicine for burns, sores.
A decoction of the root is diuretic.

Other Uses
The cucumber juice is the base of many beauty products.
The peculiarly refreshing odour of Cucumber has found application in perfumery.
Cucumber skins have been shown to repel cockroaches in laboratory experiments.
The fruit is applied to the skin as a cleansing cosmetic to soften and whiten it.

Plant profile at the Plants Database (http://plants.usda.gov/) – shows classification and distribution by US state.
A very brief history of the cucumber in America
Cucumber as health food
Ancient history of the cucumber
A brief article on cucumbers in Palestine
A brief article on cucumber history
Specifics, including history, on cucumbers and their varieties
Several plants listed from a work by Pliny the Elder
Source noting cucumbers in Ur in 3000 BC

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Help taken from:en.wikipedia.org and spicesmedicinalherbs.com

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