Seed Savers Armenian Cucumber

(aka Snake Melon, Serpent Cucumber) Looks and tastes like a cucumber but botanically a melon. Crunchy flesh is burpless, never bitter, and makes great pickles. Prolific output, performs especially well in hot climates. Light green ribbed fruits grow up to two feet long; they grow straight when trellised but tend to twist when grown on the ground.

• Conventional
• 50 seeds

This variety works for:

• Fresh eating
• Pickling

Cucumbers are most often used raw and are perfect in salads. Some chefs prefer to peel the skin off the fruit as it can be bitter, but that is not the case with Armenian cucumbers which are best eaten at 12-15 inches in length.

Cucumbers pair well with mint an dill, which can be added directly to your salad or to dressings. Cucumber and mint can also be added to smoothies and juice. Tatziki sauce is made from shredded cucumber, yogurt, and dill.

Pickling cucumbers, however, are best for preserving in a solution of vinegar, salt, sugar, spices, and water. You can create countless number of combinations for your pickles to use on sandwiches, as a relish, or eaten as side dish.

Instructions - Sow seeds outdoors in 12" diameter hills after the last frost when soil is warm. Space hills 6' apart in all directions. Can also be started indoors 2-4 weeks before the last frost for an earlier harvest. Cucumbers benefit from consistent moisture. Provide support for vines to save space.

• Direct Seed: 1" Deep
• Seeds to Hill: 6-8 Seeds
• Thin: To 3-4 Plants
• Light: Full Sun