EatTheWeeds: Episode 53: Creeping Cucumber

http://www.eattheweeds.com/creeping-cucumber-melothria-pendula/

Learn about wild food with Green Deane about the creeping cucumber, a wild edible that is also listed as toxic.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• bushcraft
• edible
• food
• Foraging
• herbs
• medicine
• melothria
• pendula
• permaculture
• plants
• raw
• survival
• wild
• wildcraft

[jbr1074]

How STRONG of a laxitive are they- as in how long to act, and how long does it last?

[EatTheWeeds]

@jbr1074 Extremely strong. One fruit can empty a horse and make it very I'll.

[jbr1074]

@EatTheWeeds What is the easiest way to know 'when' they have transoformed from edible and delicious to... 'dangerous'? I understand the fully dark green fruits are the suspect ones, but as they mature, when is the 'line in the sand'?

[EatTheWeeds]

@jbr1074 When the fruit are green they are fine. Then they turn yellow then black. If I see any yellowing I leave them alone.

[RonRay]

You said "cold weather usually arrives around Christmas and leaves New Year". ... That's a WEEK! A WEEK of cold weather! Brrrr!

Seriously though, I used to live in Florida and would really miss the change of seasons and maybe even a little snow.

It once snowed in Tampa in 1973 (it didn't get as far south as St. Pete ;) and people in cars began to slide around like it was Chicago! :-)

Old drivers in St. Pete used to run into each other when it got "cloudy"! ☺

[EatTheWeeds]

@RonRay I misspoke and only noticed it after I was done. Winter here runs form Christmas to Valentine's Day. I can put tomatoes out on Valentine;s Day and not worry too much about it, depending on the moon cycle. Cold weather follows the full moon, so if I have a full moon in late February I will delay putting out tender plants until after that particular full moon.

[RonRay]

@EatTheWeeds

Your knowledge about plants, seasons and other things is incredible!

[G0LdenL1on]

Spiny, wild cucumber was a Luiseño Indian fish poison. Supposedly mild enough, that the fish might swim away and were not considered toxic to eat.

The charred and oily seeds were reportedly used as a psychedelic tea, which sent teenagers to the hospital, and as a fixative for ancient petroglyphs.

Preparations of the (sometimes giant) root were purgative but considered panacea, when applied externally to ringworms, acne, and hair roots.

[EatTheWeeds]

@19countryboy71 When green they taste like cucumbers.

[19countryboy71]

Thank you so much G.D I have been trying to figure this plant out for a while. So they taste just like cucumber or watermelon?