Cucamelon Salad

Cuca-what now???

It’s entirely possible you’ve never heard of a cucamelon. I hadn’t either, until a few years ago. They aren’t really something that you see in your grocery store; in fact, I don’t think I’ve EVER seen them in a grocery store. Maybe at a farmer’s market?

Pretty much the only place where you’re going to get cucamelons is from your own garden, and lemme tell ya, my garden has them in spades this summer.

This whole adventure started in May, when I took a trip on a Sunday, as I often do, to the Kitsilano Farmers Market. There’s a guy there that sells plants, especially earlier in the season, and his name is Farmer Koo. What I love about Farmer Koo is he sells all the weird plants, stuff you can’t get at your local Home Depot. For example, one year, I bought Blood Vein Sorrel from him, and he always has every kind of basil imaginable. Well, this year, I noticed he had cucamelon plants, and I could not resist. I bought one and planted it in my little garden box, and it has now taken over the fence that backs onto it. I have vines everywhere, and they are loaded down with these adorable lil guys.

So, what is a cucamelon?

As you can see, they look like teeny tiny watermelons, but they are actually more like a cucumber inside. They are very small; probably about the size of the top joint of your thumb. They are crunchy and a tiny bit acidic. And adorable.

How to use cucamelons

Well, you can use them in the same way you’d use any cucumber. You can eat them raw, you can put them in salads (I think a watermelon/cucamelon salad would be perfection), and you can even pickle them (which is what I’m doing with the next batch I harvest). They would be great inside a panzanella.

This Cucamelon Salad which I made for dinner the other night was hyper local, and my favourite kind of summer cooking to do. The cucamelons, tomatoes and herbs were all harvested right above me, from my roof garden, just 10 feet away from where I live.

PS I used mozzarella in mine because I had some left over from a recent pizza night, but feta would also work great in this Cucamelon Salad.

Cucamelon Salad

Rebecca Coleman

A pretty and easy summer salad filled with locally-sourced, peak-of-freshness ingredients.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Canadian

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

For the salad

• 1 cup cucamelons washed and halved
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes washed and halved
• 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella (ie bocconcini) use the small balls or cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs basil or mint would work great here, I used arugula
• 1 tbsp pickled red onions (optional)

For the dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper

Instructions

 

• Toss the cucamelons, tomatoes, mozzarella, and herbs along with red onions (if using) together in a bowl.
• In a mason jar, add the ingredients for the dressing, and shake well to combine.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt if needed.
• Serve, garnished with additional herbs on top if desired.

Video

Keyword salad, summer salad,, vegetarian