Cohlmia Family Lebanese Cucumber

Cucumber melon. Cucumis melo var. flexuosus. This variety is eaten in the immature stage like a cucumber. Fruit are pale green and best eaten when under 12" long, but too young and the flesh is a bit tougher and slightly more bitter. Rind is tough, but it is relatively sweet. In 2014, cousins Sonya Grob and Kim Musgrove shared this family heirloom with SSE. Their grandfather and grandmother Cohlmia, "giddy and sitti," brought it to the United States between 1900 and 1910 when they emigrated from Jdeidet Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon. The Cohlmias settled in Oklahoma where Sonya recalls how their big garden always contained this variety. They raised the variety in Waynoka, OK and it was passed down to Sonya's parents, Woody and Phyllis Cohlmia, who raised it in Oklahoma City. Botanically it's a melon, but used by the family as a cucumber. SSE Accession # 132355