Horned Melon

This exotic vine has heart-shaped leaves and produces small yellow flowers followed by unusual looking spiky fruits which change colour from green to yellowy-orange when ripe. The seeded, lime-green jelly like interior of the fruit is rich in nutrients and has a mild flavour which is sometimes described as a cross between cucumber, courgette and kiwifruit (although as it ripens, it tastes more like a banana). It is thought to be the ancestor of all other cultivated melons, and should be grown like an ordinary cucumber but with less water and in a dryer atmosphere.