PlantFiles: Cucumber
Cucumis sativus 'Sikkim'

So far I have been really surprised by this cucumber. Out of all the varieties I am growing, this one is setting the most fruit during this hot summer we are having. They have not been as large as I read they would be. Mine are ripening all around the same size, which is that of a closed fist. The cukes are really gorgeous, and quite unique in coloration. The taste is simply wonderful, they have a subtle hint of honeydew melon.

I am growing this in a planter on my front stoop in the Catskill mountains. We have a very short season here and this year has been unusually cool and rainy. It took a very long time for them to get going, but now that they are going, they are incredibly vigorous. There are several plants in a small planter growing up fishing line. The tendrils seem to appear overnight and cling tight as soon as they touch anything. The vines are covered with flowers and beginning to set fruit. I'll report back after they're harvested.

The historic cucumber of 'Sikkim'. Fat, large fruit can reach 15" long by 6" wide. The ripe fruit is a unique rusty red color and is good eaten cooked or raw. In Asia cucumbers are often stir-fried and are quite tasty. This variety is grown in the Himalayas of Sikkim and Nepal. Sir Joseph Hooker first discovered it in the eastern Himalayas in 1848. Here is part of what he wrote about it: "So abundant were the fruits, that for days together I saw gnawed fruits lying by the natives’ paths by the thousands, and every man, woman and child seemed engaged throughout the day in devouring them." "