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African Crops For The Future E05: Horned Cucumber (Cucumis metuliferus)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ส.ค. 2024
  • Some call it a jelly melon, others call it a kiwano fruit. Often it's described as a horned cucumber. Whatever name you prefer, there's no denying that this extremely unusual-looking fruit has got serious horns and a very distinctive, tangy taste. Naturally occurring in the dryland areas of Southern Africa, it has recently found fame worldwide for its exotic looks and flavour as well its exceptional nutritional value. In this episode from his ongoing series on African Crops For The Future, Gus (the African Plant Hunter) shares some of his enthusiasm for this unique fruit and its many attributes.
    To see some of Gus’ other work on underutilised plants, check out:
    www.bio-innova...
    To see more videos of Gus in action, please subscribe to this channel or check the following links:
    africanplanthu...
    guslebreton.com/
    / africanplanthunter
    / africanplanthunter
    To support Gus in his mission to bring more awareness of African plants and wild places to the world, please go to his Patreon page:
    / africanplanthunter
    #cropsforthefuture #cucumismetuliferus #hornedcucumber

ความคิดเห็น • 73

  • @fungayimutodza3848
    @fungayimutodza3848 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Gaka reminzwa- my grandmother's fields were always full of them. they just reseeded from year to year. To remove thorns we used to rub them on rocks ' paruware'

  • @patriciangwenya2545
    @patriciangwenya2545 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Lovely and delicious. Igake

  • @elsabadenhorst9746
    @elsabadenhorst9746 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    From South Africa. We are old and live off my small +- 30x30 metre piece of land and is off the grid (solar). I only have rain water. My stapel food is sweet potatoes, babana, cassava, Amadumbe (tarro), and rabbit. I do have some chicken and eggs, giant snails, pawpaw, grapes, passion frute, cherry guava, and a small pach of greens, mixed herbs and tomatoes. We also have 3 bee hives. My self, my husband and our dog survive on this small piecce of land !!
    All the feed for the 5 rabbits and 4 chickens we produse on the land. I am looking at your vidio's hoping to find crops that will sustain us with more diversety. Thank you do much for your tine.🌹

    • @brianmpofu2295
      @brianmpofu2295 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Please also stay armed

  • @terrypanayiotou
    @terrypanayiotou 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Just started growing them in Thailand

  • @adsupermusone8875
    @adsupermusone8875 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Very remarkable to know about malaria treatment

  • @bigmazthepostdoc5288
    @bigmazthepostdoc5288 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Viva Crops of the Future...
    Love gaka Gus, in season foods

  • @mthadaniel
    @mthadaniel 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Great video, we used to take these for granted 🙆🏾‍♂️🙆🏾‍♂️🙆🏾‍♂️

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks! Hopefully we won't take them for granted any more....!

  • @thandimichelle
    @thandimichelle 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Your videos are truly inspiring

  • @murumewaT
    @murumewaT 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    I saw someone on Oprah a few years ago saying he had discovered a fruit that helps in weight loss and burns fat...I was like, that's a gaka, we grew up eating those 😃

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I know, that's exactly the miracle of nature! There's no disease for which the cure doesn't exist somewhere out there in the natural world. Our ancestors knew that, and then somehow we forgot it. We just have to reconnect with the natural world and rediscover what's out there. I hope I'm doing my part in a small way to help that process along!

    • @NtokozoMoyo
      @NtokozoMoyo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Bruh....

  • @viviteshome9983
    @viviteshome9983 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you so much for the information.

  • @mandyconnecteddogs
    @mandyconnecteddogs 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I have just harvested my second crop of these. I absolutely adore the taste, cold from the fridge... best eaten when orange and ripe. I have planted another crop now, and hopefully will get them busy

  • @TheSamaz247
    @TheSamaz247 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Loving the content sir, subscribed. Will share with my friends.

  • @susangribble4075
    @susangribble4075 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I have just grown them for the first time!!! Amazing thank you for your information 😃

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Fantastic, and thanks for sharing! I hope yours come out as tasty as these ones were!

  • @simbarashechinyani8844
    @simbarashechinyani8844 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I love your content

  • @greatoutdoors630
    @greatoutdoors630 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Another great video. I want some jelly melon now!

  • @user-zs5qy7dk7o
    @user-zs5qy7dk7o 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You are doing a great job my friend. Love from Chitungwiza Zimbabwe.

  • @martinqwerty2
    @martinqwerty2 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Awesome

  • @twoturtletom
    @twoturtletom 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Very interesting Gus. We definitely see these in the US, as you mentioned, but they are a bit of a novelty. I’ve never seen anyone cook with it. Thanks for the ideas on how to use it.

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      It'll definitely impress any guests you bring round to dinner!

  • @isaiahkaliati9478
    @isaiahkaliati9478 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    There are alot of these fruits in Malawi and these are called 'Chipwete (s), Zipwete (P) and only need market out there.

  • @lovernthater
    @lovernthater 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I’m interested in the leaves. A natural cure for malaria? Malaria medication is so expensive in Nigeria, and sadly many people die because they cannot afford drugs. Could this be an answer?Hmmmm I will look into this more. Thanks again Gus , you are the best!

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks Adama, I appreciate your enthusiasm and positive energy! People like you make the world a better place!

  • @joysithole4244
    @joysithole4244 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love your video keep the job up watching you from capetown

  • @Lene-inBerlin
    @Lene-inBerlin 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I had no idea these cured malaria! Strangely enough i was the only one in my family that really loved and ate lots of these often and I was also the only one who never got malaria, everyone else did. 😀

  • @ginamitembe8935
    @ginamitembe8935 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Well thank you 👍🌟👏🌍

  • @kingjames4886
    @kingjames4886 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    it's not ripe...
    I grew these like a decade ago, they're neat. you're supposed to let them ripen til they're yellow and eat the pulp around the seeds like a pomagranate.
    crazy they were able to grow and ripen in zone 4.
    I've also seen these used as props on star trek as "alien vegetables" XD

  • @lili_dee
    @lili_dee 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks. I saw seeds for this online the other day and wondered what it is like.

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I hope one day you get to taste its unique and interesting flavour!

  • @brightername8801
    @brightername8801 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love u

  • @bmurray4659
    @bmurray4659 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    My son brought these home today. Located South East QLD. I was stumped 🤣 thank you for educating me. How does one know they're ripe?

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Wow, glad to have been able to educate you! They're ripe when they start to change colour. If they're still pure green, you need to wait a bit. As soon as there's a bit of yellow or orange, you're good to go!

  • @artemisdesignstx
    @artemisdesignstx 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Yes

  • @lofulsorro2841
    @lofulsorro2841 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Goats love them fruits..They grown in bushes everywhere in South sudan 🇸🇸

  • @nellieblighhill4575
    @nellieblighhill4575 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    They are prickly little demons but very tasty, I agree.

  • @thandimichelle
    @thandimichelle 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Is this fruit the same as the "cucumber" from the Khoi from the dryer South Africa. Not seen often

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's not the same as the wild cucumber, Cucumis africanus, although they're quite similar.

    • @chiyenyumba7135
      @chiyenyumba7135 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      😂 😂 😂 The Khoi are very popular these days very funny

    • @viviteshome9983
      @viviteshome9983 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Oh my I found them growing in 3 different places in my garden. Did not Know what they were. They looked aliens. I now know what they are interesting. It gave us tons of them. Don’t really know what to do with them. Any recipes?

  • @rajaninambiar7186
    @rajaninambiar7186 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you.I see this fruit sold here in Nl as decoration fruits.
    Is Cucumis Dipsaceus also edible?

  • @worldpeace786
    @worldpeace786 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hi there, thank you for the information and knowledge shared! Im in zim and wandering where i could find a naturally occuring variety of this cucumber, the ones that are cultivated are they also 100% from natural occuring ones too? Thabks in advance. Reason im asking is because id like to get my hands on some seeds and grow them at home, id just like it to be the most natural organic variety if possible. Thabks again for the video

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The naturally occurring ones are bitter and actually a little poisonous. The cultivated ones have been selected over thousands of years by humans for the sweeter flavour and are not poisonous. So go for the cultivated ones which you find all over the country growing unaided in people's fields. And honestly, there's nothing un-natural or un-organic about the cultivated varieties of this particular species. They're all good!

    • @worldpeace786
      @worldpeace786 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AfricanPlantHunter thank you so much for that answer! Im definately going to grab my hands on some and get them growing 🤗

  • @AdmireM
    @AdmireM 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Gaka

  • @fadzairwaveya4338
    @fadzairwaveya4338 ปีที่แล้ว

    Magaka in Shona

  • @justinsteenkamp6593
    @justinsteenkamp6593 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The one I tasted is very bitter.

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes, they can be bitter, but they're not usually. I love them!

  • @Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG
    @Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    African Durians?? 😅

  • @chiyenyumba7135
    @chiyenyumba7135 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Under utilised by whom Africans have always utilised these for generations... 😂. Please don't make claims of "discovering" 😂 😂 😂. Funny how you say "allegedly taken out of Zimbabwe". Casting a little bit of doubt on the story.

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Fair point. Although I didn’t say “unutilised” - I said “underutilised”, which is very different. “Underutilised” means they could be utilised a lot more, which I think you and I probably agree would be a good thing. My perspective is that in Zimbabwe (and the same is probably true across Africa) consumers do not really value their own indigenous foods crops, and instead prefer to eat foods derived from introduced exotic crops (in our case maize, wheat and soya). This puts power into the hands of the seed and agro-chemical companies (most of whom are multinationals) who control the inputs, and also increases vulnerability to drought and climatic shocks (since these crops are not native to Africa and are not naturally climatically adapted to African conditions). They also, coincidentally, produce foods that are a lot less nutritionally beneficial than those derived from indigenous plants. My mission is to raise awareness about these indigenous plants and convince local farmers and local consumers to reinvest in their production and consumption, which I strongly believe will be beneficial to our health, our livelihoods and our ecosystem.

    • @chiyenyumba7135
      @chiyenyumba7135 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AfricanPlantHunter people value their local foods and have always planted them. It's other factors like urbanisation etc and the introduction of money based economies that changed African lifestyles. Its okay you are going around it's interesting and positive

  • @sadzasnake1755
    @sadzasnake1755 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Howzit Gus. Regarding this GAKA cucumber. When is the best time to plant this. We had a vine where I did my apprenticeship at DULY’s & Co in Dellas back in the 80’s. Bloody awesome eating. Had a few here in Perth and want to grow them now. If you can help I would appreciate it.
    Cheers. Ken the Rhotralian🇦🇺

    • @AfricanPlantHunter
      @AfricanPlantHunter  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Howzit Ken, nice to hear from you! I'd plant just as you come out of winter and the temperatures start rising. In a sandy, well-drained soil, but with regular watering. Good luck!

    • @sadzasnake1755
      @sadzasnake1755 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AfricanPlantHunter Many thanks for the reply and advice Gus. Very much appreciated. Cheers.