Pepino Dulce

Pepino is also known as pear melon or sweet cucumber. The fruits look like creamy yellow goose eggs with purple stripes. The flavor is not what you expect from a tomato relative: a cross between cantaloupe & cucumber, & the texture is like juicy custard. When fully ripened the fruit is soft, deep yellow & is often combined with other exotic fruits in fruit salads. When less ripe, it can be used in salads, cooked in stews or baked like a squash. The sweet seeds are also edible. The plant looks & grows very much like a tomato plant with a height of 2-3’ & a sprawling 4’ wide. Like a tomato it can be staked or trellised & works well in a hanging basket. Plant in relatively fertile soil (but don’t overdo fertilizer) & water consistently for best fruit production.