Solanum muricatum or melon pear. can you eat the skin ?

Question

I have a melon pear tree/plant. small tree with lots of fruit growing. it appears that it tastes like a melon but can I eat the skin as well as the fruit or do I treat it like a melon and just scoop out the flesh - minus the seed. the plant / tree is less than a year old. I have no Idea how to harvest or when to harvest the crop. any help would be greatly appreciated as I need to show pictures to a friend when it bears fruit.

Answer 1

Ha Harrrrrrrrrrrrr - Green fingered too a !!

South America - Chile and Peru

Small flowering plant, perennial as it lives for more

than 2 yrs - grow & bloom over spring/summer then

die back autumn/winter - they return the following

spring from their 'root stock' rather than by 'seeding'

(as an annual plant does) - therefore known as

Herbaceous perennials -

Oh yes I know all about these (well actually its not

so much me -  as the ole dearie round the corner

from me) She grows anything and every thing !!

In short as time's now approaching 04:15 - You

are best to eat the fruit raw - its as juicy,

sweet and aromatic as the honeydew - You

wouldn't really want to eat the skin -

but each to their own.

I don't know how true it is - but she (Mave) always

says DON'T let my kids touch the leaves as

they are poisonous (We're the garden sitters) !!

Will add to this later - whilst Mave is here with

me this afternoon - x*x -

Edit - 15.40pm ........ Herrrrrrrrrre's Mave ........

" - HOW's YOUR HEAD - " !!

Likes :- A medium, well-drained clay soil -

and preferes an acid, neutral and basic (alkaline)

moist soils - Warm & sunny possition with a

good mulch - requires a pH level above 6

to avoid toxicity or iron defeciency -

Dislikes :- Shade (it cannot grow in the shade)

Frost (even light frost - there not at all hardy

in this country) The roots survive ok during winter,

and regrow from the base in spring.

The plant however, will require protection -

High tempretures (30c & above) will cause the

flowers to abort during flowering time -

Sound like fussy little buggers to me !!

Were gonna look for pics after walking

the dowwwgs - Squeeze ya laters - x*x -