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 Cohlmia Grob and Kim Cohlmia Musgrove shared this family heirloom with SSE. Their Cohlmia grandfathers and grandmothers, "giddy and sitti," brought seed to the United States between 1900 and 1910 when they emigrated from Jdeidet Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon. The Cohlmia's settled in Oklahoma where Sonya and Kim recall how each of their family’s gardens always contained this variety. Sonya’s family raised the variety in Waynoka, OK, and Kim's parents, Woody and Phyllis Cohlmia, also grew them in Oklahoma City. It is a favorite in the Lebanese community as many families also have the seeds and continue to grow them. Botanically it's a melon, but used by the family as a cucumber. SSE Accession # 132355