How do you grow caigua?
Aim for a pH of 5.0 to 7.1, and caigua will be happy. Most soil types are fine, including loamy, sandy, or clay, so long as they drain well. Caigua likes a sunny position but will tolerate partial shade. If you plant in full shade, the plant won’t fruit.
Is caigua a perennial?
The caigua is an annual vine grown for its small fruit, which are used as a vegetable.
What does Achocha taste like?
The South American achocha plant has small, cucumber-like fruits that have a fresh flavour, a cross between a minty cucumber and a green pepper. The young fruits are delicious raw – added to salads or juiced.
What is caigua in English?
Known in the Andes as caigua or caihua (possibly from Quechua kaywa); also as achocha (possibly from Quechua achuqcha). In English it is named stuffing cucumber or slipper gourd.
How do you plant Achocha seeds?
Achocha has potential as a crop, and as an ornamental in this country. Sow seeds into pots under glass or on the windowsill in April/May and set them out when all danger of frost has passed, or grow under glass. Warmth (rather than heat) and humidity are what achochas like best.
Can you eat Achocha raw?
Eating achocha Young fruits can be eaten raw in salads, and taste a bit like cucumber. Older fruits need to be cooked – try them in stir-fries or sliced onto pizza. They can be used in the same ways as green peppers. You will need to remove the hard, black seeds first though.
What is a slipper gourd?
Caigua, also called slipper gourd or kaywa, is a very unpretentious old vegetable plant. The small but very numerous fruits can be harvested when they are the size of olives and are often pickled, eaten raw with salads, or as a vegetable. You can. also let them grow until they are about the size of short cucumbers.
How do you save Achocha seeds?
Achocha won’t cross with any of the other plants in your garden, so it’s easy to save your own seed for next year. Simply remove the seeds from a mature fruit, dry them out and store them somewhere dry for next year.
Can you eat achocha raw?
How do you grow an achocha fat baby?
Sow seeds in moist compost in mid-late April. Pot on and keep under cover till all threats of frost are gone. Then set them out 45cm apart at the base of something they can climb and leave them to it. If picked when they are between the size of a 5p and 10p piece you can eat achocha whole.
How do you grow an Achocha fat baby?