What is Anguria and how to grow it

Traditionally, cooking uses products that are familiar and familiar to everyone. However, there are also exotic lovers who prefer to grow and consume unusual, rare crops. One of these fruits is anguria, popular in European cuisine and increasingly appearing in Russian dishes.

What is Anguria

Anguria's natural habitat is tropical and subtropical climatic zones. Its second name is Antillean cucumber, it belongs to the genus Cucumis (Cucumber) of the same name and the Cucurbitaceae family.

In the wild, the plant, which has a bitter taste, was first discovered in South Africa and Madagascar, and over time the seeds were brought to America. In Australia, the vegetable is considered a weed and regular work is carried out to destroy it in areas.

In Russia, many gardeners are already trying to grow anguria as a fruit and ornamental crop.

Description and its varieties

The Antillean cucumber is an annual vine-like plant; its fruits are similar in appearance to the well-known cucumbers, but plump and covered with small spines-horns. Anguria grows as shrubs reaching 5-6 meters in height. It develops original leaves - carved, figured, reminiscent of the foliage of melons, but covered with small thorns.

During the flowering period, the plant produces many fragrant yellow flowers, similar to cucumber flowers.Thanks to its active flowering and lush green mass, it is used as a hedge in summer cottages, for decorating fences and even building facades. Anguria blooms and produces fruits from the beginning of July until the first frost and gives a rich harvest with proper care.

Reference. The ripe fruit is bright green with light stripes, covered with small, soft, spiky shoots and shaped like a thick cucumber - about 8 cm in length and up to 4 cm in diameter. Average weight – about 45 g.

Only young fruits are used for food. They have medium-density pulp, juicy, rich in sugars and vitamins. A fully ripened seed fruit is yellowish-orange in color, but the color may vary depending on the growing region.

The interval from the appearance of the first shoots to harvest is about 65-70 days, after which the Antillean cucumber is considered inedible.

Varieties

The only officially registered variety in the state register of the Russian Federation is Anguria dietary. It is recommended to grow it in greenhouse conditions, and it takes about 50 days to ripen.

Gardeners prefer to use other varieties that are cultivated in foreign countries:

1. "Gourmet" – vines reaching 3 m in height produce oval fruits of light green color, covered with large soft spines. Young vegetables are eaten, and overripe dried specimens are used as elements of decorative floral compositions.
2. "Syrian Anguria" – large liana-like plants up to 4 m with numerous shoots and large fruits (up to 55 g), covered with small thorns. They taste sweet and are used as decorative elements for various dishes.

Important! Often inexperienced gardeners confuse anguria with kiwano - African cucumber or horned melon. These are relatives, have some external similarities, but differ in taste, resemble banana pulp and grow up to 350 g.

Its benefits and harms

Anguria is considered a valuable and healthy fruit. Its pulp contains 88% water, as well as fiber, ash, organic acids and saccharides. The product also contains magnesium and calcium, sodium and zinc, potassium and iodine, phosphorus and iron, selenium and copper. In addition, there are B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B6 and folic acid (B9). The Antillean cucumber is rich in vitamins K, E, C, PP, D, and contains choline and other valuable minerals.

The Antillean cucumber is suitable for the diet, since with a low calorie content (44 kcal) it is able to satisfy the body's needs for all necessary macro- and microelements.

Reference. A unique property of Anguria is its inability to accumulate dangerous nitrates.

Antillean cucumber is recommended to be included in the diet due to its diverse positive effects on the body:

• it normalizes metabolic processes;
• stimulates the immune system, helping the body resist viruses and infections, useful both for the prevention and treatment of ARVI;
• activates the digestive system, stimulates the intestines due to its high fiber content;
• gently removes waste and toxins, does not overload the intestines;
• helps to get rid of excess weight with regular use, removes excess water;
• strengthens blood vessels, makes them elastic and prevents the risk of developing thrombosis and varicose veins.

Anguria is useful to use for disorders of the cardiovascular system and to stabilize blood pressure.In addition, it fights inflammatory processes from the inside, which affects the external condition of the skin.

Antillean cucumber can be consumed by everyone without exception - There are no specific contraindications other than individual intolerance. Anguria is advised to be used with caution in case of urolithiasis and during pregnancy.

Features of the use of Antillean cucumber

Anguria is most often used in cooking. Fresh salads and snacks are prepared from it, and its beneficial properties are preserved even after freezing the fruit.

Pickled and canned Antillean cucumbers are a real delicacy with a pleasant sour-sweet taste that will appeal to real gourmets.

It is possible to use the fruits in the following ways:

• as an anthelmintic - dilute dried and crushed seeds with water to a paste-like state and consume 1-2 spoons per day;
• ointment for bruises – mix fresh cucumber juice with a small amount of olive oil;
• for ringworm - pour vinegar over the leaves, leave and use to wipe the skin;
• fresh juice helps get rid of freckles;
• An effective diuretic composition is obtained from a decoction of the roots.

Another area of ​​use for anguria is home cosmetology. Its juicy pulp is great for making face masks. A useful vitamin and mineral composition rejuvenates and nourishes the skin, gives it a healthy appearance and removes wrinkles.

Aesthetic fruits are often used as interior decorations or New Year trees.

This is interesting:

Review of Chinese Bitter Melon (Momordica).

What is Momordica charantia: a review of an exotic vegetable.

Secrets of growing Anguria

The Antillean cucumber is a heat-loving plant because it is of tropical origin. But with proper care, the fruits can be grown in temperate zones. The optimal temperature range is from +20°C to +29°C, a mark of +32°C or a decrease to +8°C are considered critical.

For planting Antillean cucumber, it is better to choose fertile black soil or neutral sandy loam soil. To reduce acidity, you can add lime to the soil. It is recommended to plant the plant in beds where beets, cabbage, legumes, and herbs were previously grown.

Important! You cannot choose soils with close groundwater for anguria - they will provoke rapid rotting of the root system.

The growing area should be well-lit and sunny; the exotic cucumber does not tolerate shading and does not like drafts. Considering that the period from germination to fruit harvesting is about 55 days, it is better to plant the crop as seedlings.

Planting and care

In most regions, it is recommended to use greenhouses for cultivation, but proper care and attention to the plant will allow you to get a rich harvest from an open area.

Soil preparation

The soil is prepared in the fall: the area is dug up, and a nutrient composition of the following components is added to each square meter:

• 35 g superphosphate;
• 0.5 buckets of humus or compost;
• 20 g potassium sulfate;
• 0.5 cups of wood ash.

Immediately before planting, urea is added to the loosened soil - a small pinch for each square meter.

Seed preparation

The planting material is sorted out, leaving only large seeds. They are soaked in a weak manganese solution for 3-4 hours, then placed in any growth stimulator, for example, Epin, for a day.

The prepared seeds are laid out on several layers of gauze, covered with it and left in a warm and bright place. It is important to ensure that the fabric always remains damp, then the seeds will hatch in a few days and can be transferred to peat cups (or tablets). To replant, the peat base is moistened with water, after it has increased in size, a hole 1 cm deep is made, a seed is placed and carefully sealed.

Reference. You can make a homemade mini-greenhouse by covering a peat tablet with a glass or plastic cup.

Planting schemes and technology

After the first shoots hatch in 7-8 days, you can expect active growth of seedlings. In order not to provoke the stretching of young stems, daylight lamps are installed above them. At least 3-4 young leaves should form on the stems, only after this the plant can be sent to the site.

According to the placement scheme, one anguria seedling will require a space of 50*40 cm. If the crop is planted as a decorative hedge, then up to 80 cm is left between young shoots.

There must be at least 50 cm between the Antillean cucumber and other plants, otherwise an unwanted shadow will be created. If the area is blown from one side by the wind, it is recommended to plant corn. Dill, coriander or parsley should be grown nearby to encourage cross-pollination.

The algorithm for landing is as follows:

• dig deep holes so that the seedling fits completely;
• treat the soil by spraying it with a weak manganese solution;
• in each hole - 2 liters of humus and a pinch of ash;
• place the plant and bury it to the level of the cotyledon.

Important! The Antillean cucumber needs tying up, so trellises are installed along the planted rows. As soon as the seedlings have formed “antennae”, they are sent to a support.

Seedlings can be transferred to the soil only after it has been warmed to +10°C.

Watering mode

Water as the soil dries; although the crop is moisture-loving, it does not tolerate stagnant moisture at the roots. It is advisable to use only warm and settled water. The soil near the stem should not be allowed to become waterlogged; watering should be strictly under the trunk at the rate of 12-14 liters per square meter.

If the summer is hot and dry, the crop is watered daily after sunset. During the rainy season, it is better to stop moisturizing completely. The plant especially needs moisture during fruiting.

Top dressing

It is recommended to fertilize anguria once every 15 days. It requires both mineral and organic compounds, which are suitable:

1. Mullein – mix a quarter of a bucket with 10 liters of water, leave until fermentation is complete, dilute the finished composition with 4 buckets of water and water at the rate of 10 liters per square meter. m.
2. Chicken droppings pour water in a ratio of 1:2, leave for several days in a warm place. Dilute a liter of the finished composition in 10 liters of water and water two hours after watering in dry weather.

The optimal complex mineral fertilizer is nitrophoska. Three tablespoons of the drug are diluted in 10 liters of water and 0.5 liters are poured under each bush.

Topping

As soon as the first ovaries appear on the bush, it is pinched. This stimulates the growth of the second row of shoots, which produce the bulk of the harvest.

Pinching will prevent active growth of the crop on the site, which leads to a lack of sunlight.

Protection from diseases and pests

Antillean cucumber is affected by powdery mildew, anthracnose, root rot or white rot. These fungal diseases develop due to violations of the rules of care or excessive watering of the soil. Damaged parts of the vines are removed, after which the plants are treated with Fundazol and Maxim.

The most dangerous pests are melon aphids or spider mites. The compositions “Aktellik”, “Aktara”, “Fitover”, “Agravertin” are effective against them.

You cannot collect fruits after processing. To prevent diseases and pest attacks, it is recommended:

• periodically treat garden tools with disinfectants;
• remove weeds from the site;
• loosen the soil regularly;
• feed the crop in a timely manner;
• check the bushes to identify symptoms of damage.

Harvesting

Young fruits are collected, not overripe specimens of a beautiful green color. Remove them from the bush in the morning, before the heat sets in. Then they will be juicier, richer, and will be stored better.

Harvested cucumbers are more comfortable in a cool place, and gardeners claim that they can survive this way even until mid-winter.

What experienced gardeners say about Anguria

Anguria is not the most popular plant in Russia; it is not grown everywhere, much less on an industrial scale.. Summer residents plant exotic cucumbers only for personal consumption, use them for food or as a decorative decoration.

Some summer residents begin to grow Antillean cucumber as an experiment, but after trying it, they begin to add it to salads and even preserve it.

What is the yield?

The yield from one bush is about 150-200 fruits with proper care, and the seeds remain viable for up to four years. From 10 sq. m manages to get about 22 kg of cucumbers.

Read also:

How to cure cucumbers in a greenhouse from white rot.

Using superphosphate to fertilize cucumbers.

What diseases of cucumber seedlings exist: photos and descriptions.

Conclusion

Growing an exotic Antillean cucumber on your own plot is no more troublesome than caring for ordinary cucumbers or potatoes. It is enough to follow the rules of agricultural technology and provide comfortable conditions for the crop in order to reap a rich harvest of healthy and tasty fruits in the form of unusual green hedgehogs.