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Melon. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Directory / Cultivated and wild plants

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Content

  1. Photos, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
  2. Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
  3. Botanical description, reference data, useful information, illustrations
  4. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
  5. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing

Melon, Cucumis melo. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism

Melon Melon

Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism

Sort by: Cucumis

Family: Cucurbitaceae (cucurbitaceae)

Origin: Southwest Asia

Area: Distributed in many countries, including India, Pakistan, China, Turkey, Iran, Italy, Spain, Greece, Egypt, South Africa, Australia, Japan and the United States.

Chemical composition: Melon contains many vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, and folate. It is also rich in antioxidants and contains a small amount of fiber.

Economic value: Melon is an important cultivated plant and is used in the food industry to produce juices, desserts, candies and other sweets. It is also often eaten fresh as a dessert or addition to salads and appetizers. In some regions, melon is used as a medicine to treat stomach problems and skin diseases.

Legends, myths, symbolism: In ancient Chinese mythology, melon was associated with the goddess of medicine, who was considered the patroness of health and longevity. It was believed that eating melon could prolong life and improve health. Another ancient Chinese legend says that the melon was the favorite fruit of the emperor, who died from poisoning caused by its unripe fruit. After that, the melon became a symbol of caution and thrift. In Muslim culture, melon is often mentioned in the Koran and Arabic legends as a symbol of prosperity and abundance. It is believed that drinking melon can bring blessings and prosperity. The melon can be used as a symbol of fertility, abundance and prosperity, as its fruits are often associated with wealth and abundance. It can also be used as a symbol of summer and the hot season, as its fruits ripen during the warmer months and are often associated with summer holidays and picnics. The melon can also be used as a symbol of caution and thrift, as its unripe fruit can cause poisoning and disease. In general, the melon can be used as a symbol of fertility, abundance, prosperity, summer, caution and thrift.

 


 

Melon, Cucumis melo. Description, illustrations of the plant

Melon, Cucumis melo L. Botanical description, history of origin, nutritional value, cultivation, use in cooking, medicine, industry

Melon

An annual melon plant. The stem is flexible, curly, often creeping, hairy, with simple tendrils, up to 3 m long. Leaves are triangular-ovate or lobed, petiolate, pubescent. Flowers unisexual, yellow. The fruit is a false berry of spherical or elongated shape, green, white, yellow or brown in color. The pulp is juicy, varied in taste and color, often with a characteristic odor. Seeds are flat, yellowish, sitting on fibrous placentas. Blooms in June-September.

The homeland of the melon is considered to be Central and Asia Minor, from where the plant spread to European countries. Melon was highly valued at all times, but in the Middle Ages it was undeservedly forgotten, and only at the beginning of the XNUMXth century it began to be cultivated again. Melon was brought to Europe from England at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. At first, it was cultivated as a rare plant in greenhouses, and then, along with other overseas fruits, they began to grow in open ground. They used it raw, prepared expensive delicacies from it. At present, melon culture has spread widely.

Melon is very fond of light and heat, demanding on dry air. The average daily air temperature should not be lower than 15 °C for 110-120 days. In mid-latitudes, early ripening varieties are cultivated, which require 75-85 days to ripen. The plant prefers loose rich fertilized soils. On plantations of gourds, especially melons, rock crops of corn, sorghum, and other tall plants give good results. They improve the microclimate, reduce the negative effect of winds. Melon is sown when the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm is 12-13 °C. Plant care consists in loosening and keeping the soil clean of weeds. Harvested at the technical maturity of the fruit, which is determined by color, softness and aroma.

Melon is a valuable dietary product with good taste. The fruit pulp contains sugars (sucrose predominates), vitamins C, PP, carotene, folic acid, fats, fiber, pectins, aromatic and mineral substances. The seeds contained a large amount of fatty oil, reminiscent of walnut.

The healing properties of melon have been known for a long time. In Russian herbalists, melon is mentioned among the fruits that have medicinal value. In folk medicine, melon was used as an anti-inflammatory and expectorant, as well as a mild laxative; it was taken for rheumatism, gout, scurvy, tuberculosis. Melon seed boiled in milk was recommended for kidney stones and urinary retention. Pickled melon was eaten for headaches.

The melon has not lost its significance even today. It is used for atherosclerosis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver and kidneys.

Potassium and iron contained in the melon have a beneficial effect on the process of hematopoiesis, so it is recommended for anemia. Melon improves digestion, normalizes oxidative processes in the body, however, due to the fact that it is digested mainly in the intestines, it should be eaten 2-3 hours after dinner. With this intake, melon brings maximum benefits to the body. You should also be aware that excessive consumption of melon can cause intestinal colic. Water infusion of melon seeds is used as a diuretic in diseases of the kidneys and bladder.

As a food product, melon is consumed fresh. A relatively small part goes to the manufacture of confectionery, jam, candied fruits, mashed potatoes. Juice boiled to the density of honey - bekmes is added to various types of cookies. In Central Asia, a very tasty delicacy is prepared from local varieties - dried melon.

Melon pulp is part of the nourishing face masks. A decoction of the fruit helps with various skin defects: acne, freckles, age spots.

Authors: Kretsu L.G., Domashenko L.G., Sokolov M.D.

 


 

Melon, Melo (Cucumis melo L.). Classification, synonyms, botanical description, nutritional value, cultivation

Melon

Names: uz. kaun; German Melone; Goal. meloen, dat. melon; Swede, melon; English melon, muskmelon; fr. melon; it. rorope, melone; Spanish melon; port, melao; rum. pepeni; hung. dinnye, sarga dinnye; Slovenian and Serb, dinja; Czech melouny, dyne; Polish melon; Japanese makuwauri.

K. I. Pangalo, on the basis of a long-term study of the world's collections of melons, came to the conclusion that it was expedient to single out a special genus Melo, which included various types of melons, most of them established by him. Thus, melons from the genus Cicumis are now excluded and form their own separate genus.

The main argument in favor of isolating melons as an independent genus was the fact that so far no one has been able to obtain hybrids between melons and cucumbers, which, of course, indicates the systematic remoteness of cucumbers from melons.

The Melo genus is divided into three sections, within which melon species are located.

I. Section of Eumelon Pangalo. Melons are the most cultivated; cultivated plants; ovary with dense long-tomentose pubescence; perianth deciduous (2n = 24).

1. Small-fruited melon - Melo microcarpus Pang.

Synonym: Cucumis melo var. microcarpus Alef.

The lashes are shortened, the leaves are dark green; anterior lobe of the leaf blade; somewhat elongated. The fruits are small, 2-5 cm in diameter, purple-brown, slightly sweet, very fragrant. The species is polymorphic, includes a number of varieties.

2. Ajur, tarra - Melo adzhur (L.) Pang.

Melon

Synonyms: Cucumis melo var. chate Naud., C. flexuosus L.

The flowers are strictly dioecious, the plants are monoecious. The fruits are club-shaped, sometimes sickle-shaped, inedible when mature and separated from the stalk; coloring is different; only 5-7-day ovaries 15-20 cm long, like cucumbers, are consumed for food. There are very tasty, more pleasant than cucumber, forms with crispy refreshing pulp. In a mature state, ajuras acquire a melon smell.

3. Cassaba melon - Melo cassaba Pang.

Melon

Pistillate flowers always with normally developed androecium. The fruits are spherical or slightly flattened, some with a mastoid outgrowth at the base. The pulp is thick, devoid of flavor. Placenta 3-5, filling the entire nest.

Kassabs come from the western part of Asia Minor (Balykessir region); late maturing varieties. Among them there are forms with a strongly wrinkled dark green skin, pubescent with sparse hairs. Assan-bey (late-ripening melon) is considered to be the best variety of this type of melon.

4. Cilician melon - Melo adana Pang.

Pistillate flowers without androecium. The fruits are small, elongated, mesh, yellow-brown; the pulp is dry, friable, potato-like. Placenta 3, they are spreading, rarely fused into a dense mass with seeds ("heads"). Comes from Cilicia. Forms are medium and early. Fruit quality is mediocre. This includes almost all northern melons.

5. Cantaloupe - Melo cantalupa Pang.

Melon

Synonym: Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naud.

Pistillate flowers with normal or underdeveloped androecium. Fruits are yellow, orange, flattened, spherical, often segmented, rather large, almost always separated from the stalk when ripe. The pulp of the fruit is very dense, medium sweetness, with a pleasant aroma. Comes from ancient Armenia (Lake Van area). In Europe, it has been cultivated for a long time, often in a greenhouse culture.

6. Serpentine melon - Melo fiexuosus Pang.

Synonym: Cucumis melo var. flexuosus Naud.

Flowers strictly dioecious, monoecious. Fruits are serpentine, 1-2 m long, wrinkled (longitudinally folded); mature pulp is friable, fibrous, inedible; like adjura, 3-7-day ovaries are used for food. Comes from Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia. The culture is ancient, endangered (according to P. M. Zhukovsky).

7. Handalak - Melo chandalak Pang.

Melon

The fruits are small, spherical, flattened, yellow, green or white. The pulp is juicy, friable, with pear flavor. Placenta 3 filling the interior of the fetus.

Polymorphic precocious appearance. Comes from Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran.

8. Melon Ameri - Melo ameri Pang.

Fruits are ellipsoidally elongated, medium or large size; the pulp is crunchy, with a hint of vanilla; placenta 3, usually dense. Polymorphic mid-season appearance. Comes from Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran.

9. Charjou melon - Melo zard Pang.

Synonyms: Cucumis melo var. inodorus Naud., Zard, Dutma, Wintering.

The fruits are oval-elongated, hardly detached from the stalk, the pulp of a freshly picked fruit is very dense, low-juicy and not sweet, and after maturing it is unusually tasty. Placenta 3, very dense, closed; seeds are overgrown with placentas, curved in shape. Comes from Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran. Very late forms. The view is polymorphic. The fruits keep very well through the winter. Usually they are kept hanging, but often in heaps.

II. Melonoid.es section. Melon of China. Cultivated plants; petioles with spines; leaf blades are blistered. Ovary with very short, appressed pubescence.

The perianth remains with the fruit. Homeland - East Asia (2n = 24).

1. Chinese melon - Melo chinensis Pang.

Pistillate flowers on very short pedicels with well developed androecium, stigma almost sessile; fruits are small, spherical or slightly elongated. The view is polymorphic. It comes from China and is cultivated there.

2. Melo conomon Pang.

The flowers are unisexual, without rudiments of the other sex. The fruits are long, up to 50 cm, white; placenta dense, cucumber type. It also comes from China and is cultivated there.

3. Hermaphroditic melon - Melo monoclinus Pang.

Flowers are only bisexual; otherwise similar to M. chinensis. It comes from China and is cultivated there.

III. Bubalion Pang section. Weedy melons (2n = 24).

1. Weed melon - Melo agrestis (Naud.) Pang.

Synonym: Cucutnis melo var. agrestis Naud.

The stem is rough, thick; leaves are large, on protruding petioles; flowers are large, on short pedicels; ovary with long protruding pubescence. It lives as a weed in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran.

2. Melo Figari Pang.

The stem is thin; leaves are small, on drooping petioles; flowers are small; fruits on long curved stalks. As a weed, it is common in Syria, Palestine, and Africa.

Melon fruits contain a large amount of sugars. Especially a lot of them in the Chardjou melons and kassab (up to 13% or more). Melon is consumed mainly fresh, as well as processed (candied fruits, jams, dried melon).

According to K. I. Pangalo, watermelons and melons are descended from the plant Citrullus fistulosus Stockes, which he called Praecitrullus. This supposed ancestor of the watermelon and melon is found in India. P. M. Zhukovsky, however, expresses doubt that the new genus is the ancestor of the modern watermelon. All description of this genus shows that it is much more related to Melo than to Citrullus.

Therefore, P. M. Zhukovsky continues to believe that the old theory of the origin of modern watermelon from Africa (Kalahari), and not from India, is correct.

Author: Ipatiev A.N.

 


 

Melon, Melo (Cucumis melo). Methods of application, origin of the plant, range, botanical description, cultivation

Melon

The value of melon is especially great in the countries of Central and Western Asia. Bazaars are filled with melon fruits, and in the long season of the Muslim annual fast before the Ramadan holiday, which coincides with the ripening period of the melon, in the evening, after dark, it is the melon that serves as the main food. Melon can therefore be considered in a certain sense as a cult plant.

Melon fruits contain up to 16-20% of reduced sugars, are rich in trace elements and vitamin A, their use dramatically improves digestion and promotes the absorption of rice. Melon is stored fresh for up to 5-6 months, it is also dried, dried and used to prepare canned food in the form of compote, boiled juice.

World melon production is about 9 million tons, with an average yield of 14,2 tons/ha. China ranks first in terms of gross harvest (2,4 million tons). Iran, Egypt and Romania produce 0,45 million tons per year and export the surplus to Western Europe.

The main center of melon origin is the regions of Western, Central and tropical Asia, Afghanistan and Iran. Some types of melon come from China and tropical Africa.

The modern range of the melon includes 3 areas of formation: Asia Minor and Central Asia, China. In recent years, melon has been cultivated on large areas in the countries of Southern Europe, along the Mediterranean coast, in the Arab countries, it penetrates into Latin and North America, where it begins to crowd out the pumpkin, which occupies a dominant position there.

Cultivated melon (Cucumis melo L.), together with wild-growing species, constitutes a separate botanical genus Melo; at the same time, the mistake of K. Linnaeus, who attributed the cucumber to the same genus, is corrected.

The genus Melo includes the following known types of melon:

Melo adana is a Cilician melon with a center of origin in the southeastern part of Asia Minor. The fruit quality is mediocre.

Melo cassaba - cassaba from the western part of Asia Minor, late-ripening forms with round-oval fruits of yellow-green and green color, the stalk has a characteristic nipple-shaped outgrowth.

The plant is an annual. The main stem is thin, creeping (up to 3 m).

Female flowers are formed mainly on lateral shoots. Many male and female flowers show signs of hermaphroditism. The ratio of male and female flowers is 15-20:1.

The plant produces 5-7 fruits with a variety of colors - white, yellow, green, brown with stripes. The flesh is white or yellow.

Seeds are creamy white, 9-15 mm long.

About 30 species belonging to the genus Cucumis L are known, some of them are perennial, inedible. These include the Angolan melon (Cucumis angolensis), the rough melon (Cucumis asper), and the dioecious Kalahari melon (Cucumis kalahariensis) grows in the Kalahari Desert.

The species Melchinensis Pang and its varieties originate from China, where they are widely cultivated. It should be noted that subspecies and varieties of melons are easily crossed with each other. However, it should be emphasized that the taste advantages of the Central Asian melon are fully manifested only in their ancient oases.

Melon is a very photophilous plant. The development of melon requires a large amount of soil moisture and dry air. It has a high transpiration coefficient (650-750), which is 2,5 times higher than that of corn and African millet. It tolerates leaf overheating up to 60 °C, since protein coagulation occurs at 65 °C.

Melon

In Iran, Afghanistan, in Chardzhou (Turkmenistan), winter varieties of large-fruited melons belonging to the species Melo zard Pang grow. - Charjou melon. The fruits are oval elongated, dark green in color, very large - up to 20-25 kg. Their pulp is dense, low-juicy and slightly sweet, after 2-3 months of storage it is exceptionally tasty and aromatic. This species includes the well-known Central Asian varieties of melon Gulyabi, which can be stored at low temperatures for 6-7 months.

In the same areas, varieties of early ripening melons belonging to the species Melo chandalak Pang are known. The fruits are small, yellow, green, white, the pulp is juicy, loose, pear-flavored; varieties of melons of the species Melo ameri, intermediate in size, with elongated fruits of medium size, crispy flesh with a hint of vanilla.

The optimum temperature for growth is 35-40 °C. Seeds begin to germinate at 16-17 °C. At temperatures below 15 ° C, growth stops, and with a further decrease in temperature, the root system dies.

An obligatory method of agricultural technology is pinching over the 2nd leaf, since only 10% of female flowers are formed on the main stem, 2% on stems of the 40nd order and 50% on lashes of the 3rd order. In general, agricultural technology is the same as that of other cucurbits.

Authors: Baranov V.D., Ustimenko G.V.

 


 

Melon. The history of growing a plant, economic importance, cultivation, use in cooking

Melon

What is a melon fruit? It would seem that it could be easier. The gourd culture of the gourd family, the second in importance and distribution after the watermelon, is easily distinguished from this very watermelon. However, on closer inspection, things are much more complicated.

Let's start with the fact that experts have not come to a consensus on the classification of melon Cucumis melo. It belongs to the genus of cucumbers Cucumis L., which includes about 40 species, of which only cucumber and melon are cultivated. But some botanists separate the melon into a separate genus Melo, and according to this classification it is a planting melon Melo sativus. Some refer exclusively cultivated varieties to the melon, while others include wild and semi-cultivated melons in this species.

Wild melons are weedy field plants, small-fruited and tasteless. Semi-cultural species are quite large, edible, but savory. Perhaps the most famous of them is the serpentine melon, it is also sinuous, it is also a silver melon or Armenian (Azerbaijani) cucumber C. melo flexuosus (M. flexuosus). Its curved fruits reach 50-100 cm in length and resemble a long green cucumber. Like cucumbers, ripe flexuosus are yellow and tasteless, they eat five to seven days old ovaries.

But back to cultural melons. They vary in size and shape, and differ from wild varieties in sweetness. Melon is one of the first domesticated plants. It was cultivated many centuries before our era in Central Asia, Northern India and the regions of the Middle East adjacent to it.

Gradually, the culture spread from Asia Minor to China. In Europe, melon appeared at the end of Roman rule. In the XV-XVI centuries, it was brought to Rus', in the Volga region, and under the sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich, who loved agricultural experiments, they were bred in the royal greenhouses of Izmailov. At the very beginning of the XNUMXth century, the melon was already cultivated by white settlers in America, and some Indian tribes grew their own varieties of melon, which they received from the fruits introduced by the Spaniards.

How many types of melons are there? Experts have about 3000 varieties. Naturally, they try to somehow classify this diversity, but it is not yet very good. It is possible to separate varieties according to the place of origin (Central Asian, Asia Minor, European). According to another system, cultivated melons are divided into cantaloupes (C. melo cantalupensis), reticulated C. melo reticulatus and all others, combined into a large group of flavorless melons C. melo inodorus. This division is also rather conditional.

Cantaloupes are melons of Armenian origin. According to legend, they were brought to Italy as a gift to the Pope, and they grew up in the papal estate of Cantalupo, hence the name. Cantaloupes have greenish skin and bright orange flesh. But the larger Persian melons also have orange flesh, and the American varieties of cantaloupe have been attributed to netted melons: their brown rind is, as it were, wrapped in a coarse mesh. Netted melons also include small, very juicy galliums with green or pink flesh and Charlin melons with white flesh and greenish-orange skin.

This is not to say that C. melo inodorus melons do not smell at all, just that their aroma is weaker than that of cantaloupe. Rather, the term "flavorless" in this case replaces the word "other". There are a lot of these others, they are also divided into groups. Widely known casaba with bright yellow furrowed skin - not as fragrant as other melons, but lasts longer; Santa Claus melon (toad skin) - oval, with spotted green skin and greenish flesh; a white round sugar melon the size of a large fist; a group of honey melons with greenish flesh. We also mention krenshaw (a hybrid of casaba with Persian melon) and crane (a hybrid of a very sweet Japanese melon and American cantaloupe).

Why is melon more expensive than watermelon? It is difficult to grow melons in Russia. She needs a lot of light and heat: at temperatures below 15 ° C, the seeds do not germinate, and adult plants stop growing. At 3-5 ° C, the melon dies from the cold. She also loves water. The air may be dry, but the soil must be moist. Usually melon melons are located on irrigated lands, and this is expensive. From South Kazakhstan and Central Asia, "torpedo" most often hits the shelves. Both varieties belong to the group of flavorless melons.

What is useful melon? Melon is 90% water, there is very little protein and fat in it. It is known as a source of vitamin C and beta-carotene (an orange-fleshed variety), as well as folic acid, a vascular-strengthening vitamin B9. Least of vitamins in green honey melons, most of all in cantaloupe. The sugar content also varies greatly depending on the variety, in the sweetest it reaches 20%. Melon is rich in potassium and zinc.

Now it is customary to consider any plant medicinal, any vitamin - an antioxidant. What healing properties are not attributed to melon! And it regulates digestion, and is useful for cardiovascular diseases, and helps against tuberculosis, and from worms, and from gout with rheumatism. This is hard to believe: how many wealthy Europeans used to suffer from gout, despite the fact that the melon was available to them. So let's consider melon as a source of vitamins and pleasure.

What foods go well with melon? Most often, melon is eaten raw, but sometimes it is dried, dried, pickled, put on jam and candied fruits, the sweet juice is evaporated, getting the so-called melon honey. Melon is a component of fruit salads, it is served with fresh berries, with honey, flavored with mint and cloves. In Mexico, melon is eaten with lime juice and chilli powder.

In some cuisines, thin melon slices are paired with lean meats or low-fat cheese. Culinary experts believe that the melon gives familiar foods a distinctive taste and aroma and promotes their absorption. Melon does not go well with fatty, grain and starchy foods, milk and eggs. Although there is a recipe for pancakes made from melon puree and flour, and dried melon is served with ice cream and cereals. Obviously, it all depends on the variety of melon and the characteristics of a particular intestine.

Melon seeds are also valuable, they contain up to 30% aromatic oil, which is good in salads and cereals.

Melon

How to cut and serve? N.V. wrote about how knowledgeable people eat melon. Gogol in the story "The Enchanted Place": "Here, each one, taking a melon, peeled it cleanly with a knife (the kalachi were all grated, mooed a lot, they already knew how to eat in the world; perhaps they are ready to sit down at the master's table even now), peeling well, each one pierced a hole with his finger, drank jelly from it, began to cut it into pieces and put it in his mouth.

This is the wrong way. Having taken a melon, it is necessary to wash it thoroughly. Then the tips are cut off from the melon, cut in half along the long axis, the seeds are removed with a knife or spoon. Slice each half crosswise into thin slices and lay skin side down on a plate. A knowledgeable person will hold this slice with a fork, cut the flesh with a knife in several places to the crust, and then separate small pieces and eat with a fork. If the melon is very large, it is not cut in half, but into four or more parts, if it is small, it is cut into halves and the pulp is eaten with a fruit spoon.

When a melon is cut into cubes for a salad, the tips are first cut off from it, and then, putting the peel on the end. It turns out a peeled melon log.

Not quite melon. Some fruits are colloquially called melons, but in reality they are not melons. These include the horned melon C. metuliferus, also known as kiviano, melano, jelly melon, and African horned cucumber. The fruit of C. metuliferus really resembles a yellow thorny melon and looks so spectacular that it is often used as a table decoration. But horned melon is quite edible. It has a jelly-like yellowish-green flesh that is slightly tart in taste, reminiscent of a mixture of banana, cucumber and lemon.

Winter melon Benincasa hispida, also known as white gourd, winter gourd or wax gourd, looks like a thick and very long green squash. The fruits reach a length of 80 cm, young melons are pubescent, but as they ripen, they grow bald and become covered with a wax coating. This culture comes from Southeast Asia. Its fruit is not sweet, it is eaten like a vegetable: pork is fried with it, soup is made from it. Eat unripe pumpkin with a thin skin.

Among table melons, there is also a variety, perhaps more than one, called winter melon. Such, for example, is the white nutmeg melon with a smooth, whitish skin and sweet flesh.

How to choose a melon? This is a difficult question, because each melon variety has its own instructions: what should be the color, smell, softness. Since the color can be different, and there may be no smell at all (either the variety is the same, or the melon has lain in the refrigerator for a long time), we will limit ourselves to general recommendations. The peel should be intact, without spots and cracks. The peel on the opposite side of the stem gives in slightly when pressed. If it smells like grass, it means immature. And remember that every fruit has its time. Melon time is from August to October.

Author: Ruchkina N.

 


 

Dog and human melons. Featured article

Melon

The real kingdom of melons is Central Asia. Going to work, locals from time immemorial put a melon on their shoulder - a standard breakfast. With wheat cake, churek, and hearty and tasty. In order to have a marked breakfast throughout the year, winter varieties of melons were bred. The longer they lie, the sweeter, more fragrant they become. And sometimes help out in the most difficult situations.

There is a story about a cunning driver who drove a car through a difficult pass. For other drivers, the car was refused halfway: the motor was overheating. I had to stop and wait for it to cool down. The trickster did not stop and took the obstacle in one spirit.

Friends pleaded: "Open the secret!" The sage smiled and lifted the hood. Half of a huge melon lay on the hot metal of the engine. Sweet drops flowed down, as after rain, evaporated and cooled the car.

There are, of course, melons and disadvantages. Transporting them is even more difficult than watermelons. For three seas you will not take away. The British are the worst. They don't grow melons. At first glance, the situation is not entirely clear. The climate of the island is mild and even. Lebanese cedars grow well, which have taken root on the Black Sea coast.

And they do not withstand the harsh weather of Central Asia, where melons thrive. However, the English climate is humid (Foggy Albion!), while melons are pets of dry sunny lands.

English gardeners fought for a long time, finally they came up with. Greenhouses - that's the way out. In greenhouses, melons went without interference. True, the sizes are dwarfed. Slightly longer than the palm. And weighing half a kilo. But yours!

At one time, Professor N. Kichunov tried English melons. He praised: "Not bad." Later, another connoisseur-melon grower, Professor A. Pangalo, repeated the tasting. His opinion was the opposite. He was surprised at such a flattering assessment of Kichunov.

And then I found out: Kichunov compared with the Queen of Melons. To make it clearer, let's say a few words about this variety.

He appeared in 1892. The author is the same D. Lesevitsky who gave the world the Favorite farm of Pyatigorsk. Lesevitsky dreamed of bringing melons in Ukraine the same as in Central Asia. But they didn't succeed.

Then he crossed the Khiva melon Zamucha with the English variety Skilman. The hybrid came out better than the English parent and worse than Zamuchi, but at the time of maturity, the melting pulp did not last long. A week later it overripe and then it became like a boiled potato. A little better than English melons are French and German. Professor K. Pangalo tried all 40 of the best European varieties.

He rated them as "small variations on one theme" - no taste, no bouquet, no sweetness. The difference is only in appearance.

The best melons in the world are Chardzhui. From under the city of Chardjou on the Amu Darya. Huge, dark green. Plucked from the whip - hard, almost unsweetened and even dryish. Not a drop of juiciness. Buy it in the store, throw it away. But it is worth lying down until winter (her name is Zimovka), as she becomes juicy, sweet and fragrant.

There are other winter melons - Kassaba. Also dark green, also large. Only not long, but spherical or even slightly flattened. The only problem is that they are devoid of flavor.

True, academician P. Zhukovsky, when he was in Turkey, managed to find Kassaba with a strong aroma. But the aroma turned out to be... cucumber!

Ironically, the most fragrant melons are not the largest and not the sweetest, but, on the contrary, small-fruited and inedible. In previous years, dandies Uzbeks took such micromelons to festive festivities. They replaced spirits. And to this day, Muslims of the East often grow micromelons not for food, but for smell.

The smallest fruitlets give wild dog melons it-kaun. Their productivity is amazing. On one lash, two hundred fruitlets ripen.

They are so similar to cultural ones that a suspicion arises: did cultural melons originate from these savages? Indeed, some believe that the opposite is true. Dog melons are feral cultivated.

Who is right and who is wrong is hard to say. Dog melons grow completely freely in the floodplain meadows of the Syr Darya, Chirchik, Angren between the bushes of chingil, tamarisk and on reeds. From here they storm cotton fields and corn plantations. And melons, of course. Their small fruits, the size of a walnut, are so tightly stuffed with seeds that there is very little room for the pulp.

The taste of these melons is almost always bitter or sour. However, local dogs do not disdain them (as well as cultural ones, by the way). Accordingly, the seeds are distributed.

Growing a melon is an art. Special difficulties, like watermelons, with seeds. An inexperienced melon grower sows fresh seeds. Such mighty whips grow from them with such powerful leaves that pride fills the heart of a beginner. At his neighbors, he sees plants that are not at all so lush. They seem to him frail bastards. However, it is harvest time. Neighbors collect normal fruits. There is nothing to collect from a beginner melon grower. One decoration, almost no fruits.

An experienced melon grower knows: old seeds are needed. Lying. Three to four year olds. If there are none at hand, you need to age fresh ones.

All kinds of options are offered. Withstand the seeds before sowing in the bath. They urinate in milk with sheep dung. Or just in slurry. Professor K. Pangalo, who reported this, recommended soaking the seeds in the melon grower's own sweat. He also gave practical advice. Seeds are sewn into a cloth belt, which is worn while working in the field.

Another classic of melon growing, I. Maklakov, known throughout Russia, recommended a similar method for watermelon seeds. He poured the seeds into the pockets of his clothes (preferably in trousers). In two weeks, the seeds reached the condition in the same way as during normal storage for four years!

Of all the melons, dutma is the most troublesome. The magazine "Plodovodstvo" told the world about it in 1900. He reported that there is such a melon in Transcaucasia, which is grown ... underground. She is very juicy and tender. And it tastes like a pear. As soon as the fruits reach the size of a fist, they are sprinkled with earth. After that, every morning they still add earth where the fruit is exposed.

To find out about the ripeness of his creation, the owner gets on all fours and sniffs. If you smell the aroma, the melon is ready. You can dig. "Do not try to fill ordinary melons with earth," the magazine added, "everything will go to waste!" After 30 years, professor K. Pangalo became interested in dutma

It turned out that dutma is not a special kind of melon, but a way to grow it. Translated into Russian means "protection". A variety of melons are grown underground in Transcaucasia, even our ordinary Collective Farm Woman.

Pangalo learned from melon growers that under the ground the melon is preserved from the attack of various goats. However, this seemed unlikely to him. For reliability, an experiment was carried out. We collected several varieties of melons - both our own and foreign ones, from Iran. They planted dutmbby in the usual way. Observed for two years. No difference.

A problem arose: if dutma does not give any benefit, if only empty chores, then why is it being used? If you can't do without it, then why can't you see the benefits? Why is the harvest the same: what is underground, what is on the ground?

Melon

Another 30 years have passed. Melon growers continued to grow melons and increasingly complained that they were being annoyed by the pest - the melon fly. What did they do against her!

Pollinated. Sprayed. Even the males were spayed. However, the malicious insect eluded retribution and sometimes destroyed nine-tenths of the crop. It was here that they again remembered the dutma. After all, this method was specially created against the melon fly (those boogers that Pangalo did not believe in). Baku biologist G. Asadov calculated how much benefit dutma gives to the economy. They sowed a collective farmer. Two-thirds were eaten by boogers in the usual way. Dutma kept all her fruits one hundred percent.

In other varieties, the damage was a little less, but still more than half of the melons died.

And then Pangalo's experiments came to mind Asadov. Why was the yield of melons the same in them? Why then, in Transcaucasia, did the dutma not have any effect? It turned out that's what. Melon fly does not affect all varieties.

In Transcaucasia, there was a Shami variety that does not require earthen protection.

The most important thing is not even that. The melon fly is not rampant in all areas. She is a real scourge in Nakhichevan, in Armenia. And in Absheron, near Baku, strong winds whistle and there are no good conditions for a fly. She is simply blown away from melons. Therefore, it does not spoil melons and dutma is useless in Baku.

However, Asadov found out one more detail. Melons grown underground acquire a special tenderness, become sweeter and more fragrant. And they ripen earlier than those that are baked in the sun.

In general, melon, like no other fruit, requires ingenuity and resourcefulness. At the end of the XNUMXth century, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was fond of melons. He ordered melon masters from Astrakhan, "the most quiet, kind and not proud people." And he ordered melon gardens to be planted in the Moscow region. The Moscow climate is not at all suitable for melons. And raw.

And chilly. However, the Astrakhan melon growers managed to serve an excellent product to the royal table. They managed to complete the task in this way. After planting seedlings, they stocked up on overalls. Two pairs of outerwear for myself and two blankets for melons. They went out to the melon in their underwear and sat on a bench. If it was chilly, they put on the first pair of outerwear. And the first sheet was thrown over the melons. If the body did not warm up, they pulled on the second pair. On myself and on melons too. When the sun warmed up, the operation was repeated in reverse order.

And in Turkmenistan, in the old days, melons were grown like this. They picked up low places in the desert, where spring waters flow - takyr. In summer the water will dry up. The soil will heat up and crack into polygons.

Then melon growers come and pour seeds on the takyr. Then they are scattered with brooms here and there until they fall into the cracks of the earth. There is still enough moisture, and the seeds will germinate. This is where the worries end. Nature will do the rest.

The convenience is that you do not need to weed the weeds. They simply don't exist. The shiny clay crust of polygons cannot be penetrated by any weed.

Even more amusing was the sowing of melons in the Ferghana Valley. We chose an area where there is a lot of camel thorn. The bushes were cut under the root, so that a small stump remained. The stump was split in half and a melon seed was inserted. In any dry land, a thorn raises water from a depth. And supplies it to the settler.

Difficult as it is to sow, storage of melons is also not an easy task. Usually the fetus is tied crosswise with cane ribbons and hung indoors.

Professor K. Pangalo once hung a large batch of melons for storage in a storehouse where potatoes were piled. It was not too long before the magnificent winter melons acquired a nasty, unpleasant taste and very soon rotted. Placed with apples - even worse. Ethylene, which was released from apples, further accelerated ripening. Then they tried to do something. They were doused with formalin, smeared with milk of lime, irradiated with ultraviolet light.

The result is the opposite. A fifth part was spoiled without processing. With processing - all one hundred percent! I had to go back to the old way.

Author: Smirnov A.

 


 

Melon. Interesting plant facts

Melon

There is a lot of vitamin A in the melon pulp, which is not without reason called the beauty vitamin, as it provides softness and smoothness to the skin, gives shine to the eyes and hair, freshness to the lips. With a lack of vitamin in the body, the disease A-avitaminosis develops, the skin on the face fades and dries, peels off, acquires an earthy hue, a small rash appears, the hair becomes dull and begins to fall out.

Vitamin A is found in many vegetables and fruits. However, in the form of a melon, it is much more pleasant to take it.

From the pulp of the melon, nourishing and tonic masks that are excellent for the skin of the face are also prepared. Carefully crushed pulp is applied in a thin layer on the face and neck and left for 10-15 minutes. With regular use of melon masks for one to one and a half months, the skin acquires softness and elasticity, becomes white and ruddy with a matte finish.

Before applying the mask, they thoroughly wash themselves with soft water and, if possible, make a steam bath of the face: covering the head with a towel, holding for ten minutes: the face over a basin of boiling water. If the skin is oily or heavily soiled, it is a good idea to wipe it with a table salt solution (half a teaspoon in a glass of water). After two or three minutes, the salt solution is washed off and the face and neck are wiped dry with a soft towel. To prepare the mask, take 5-6 layers of gauze or a thin layer of cotton wool, which are moistened with watermelon juice and applied for 15-20 minutes on the face and neck. After removing the mask, wash your face with warm water and dry with a towel, not wiping, but blotting the skin. In conclusion, the face is lubricated with a commonly used nourishing cream, necessarily prepared with natural fat.

Fast way. After washing with warm water, the gruel from the pulp of the melon is applied, lying down, in a thin layer on the face and neck, covered with a towel on top and left for 10-15 minutes. After washing after the mask, dry the skin and lubricate with a nourishing cream.

Melon juice is rubbed on the skin in the morning and evening, compresses and lotions are made. As soon as the melon season begins, every woman needs to take advantage of the healing properties of melon juice. Especially for aging skin with large pores and pronounced wrinkles.

Author: Reva M.L.

 


 

Melon, Cucumis melo. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Ethnoscience:

  • To improve kidney function: consume melon fresh or in the form of juice. It is high in water and can help cleanse the kidneys, improve their function, and eliminate swelling.
  • For the treatment of constipation: consume melon fresh or in the form of juice. It contains soluble and insoluble fibers that help improve intestinal motility and prevent constipation.
  • To strengthen the immune system: consume melon fresh or in the form of juice. It contains vitamin C, which helps to strengthen the immune system and protect the body from various diseases.
  • To reduce stress levels: consume melon fresh or in the form of juice. It contains magnesium, which helps reduce stress levels and improve mood.
  • To treat insomnia: consume melon fresh or in the form of juice before going to bed. It contains the amino acid tryptophan, which helps improve sleep quality.

Cosmetology:

  • Mask for the face: mix 1/4 cup of crushed melon with 1/4 cup of honey and apply on face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse with warm water. The mask will help moisturize and brighten the skin.
  • Face tonic: pour a piece of melon with boiling water and insist for 30 minutes. Strain and add a few drops of rose water. Use as a facial toner to hydrate and refresh skin.
  • Facial peeling: mix 1/4 cup crushed melon with 1/4 cup oatmeal and 1 tablespoon honey. Apply to face and massage in circular motions, then rinse with warm water. Exfoliation will help cleanse the skin and make it smoother and softer.
  • Hand cream: mix 1/4 cup crushed melon with 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1 tablespoon honey. Use as a hand cream to hydrate and soften skin.
  • Shampoo: mix 1/4 cup of crushed melon with 1 cup of coconut milk and a little castor oil. Use the resulting mixture as a shampoo to strengthen your hair and make it shinier.

Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!

 


 

Melon, Cucumis melo. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Melon (Cucumis melo) is an annual plant from the gourd family, which has a juicy sweet fruit.

Tips for growing, harvesting and storing melons:

Cultivation:

  • The melon loves the sun, so choose an open spot for it, protected from the wind.
  • The soil must be fertile and well-drained. It is not recommended to grow melon on heavy clay soils.
  • Melon planting is best done in mid or late May, when the soil is warm enough.
  • The distance between plants should be about 60-90 cm, depending on the variety.
  • Melon can be grown both outdoors and in greenhouses.
  • Water the plants regularly, especially during the growing season. But avoid waterlogging the soil.
  • Thin the fruit regularly to maintain the quality and size of the fruit.
  • Trim side shoots to encourage main stem growth and yield.
  • Mow weeds regularly so they don't compete with plants for food and water.

Workpiece:

  • The melon is recommended to be harvested when it reaches full maturity. This can be determined by the color of the peel, which should become brighter and more saturated.
  • Melon can be harvested 2-3 months after planting, when the fruits have reached maturity. The maturity of a melon can be determined by the pleasant smell and lightness of the fruit.
  • Harvested melons can be stored at room temperature for up to several days, and in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
  • If you have collected too many melons, you can freeze them: de-seed, cut into pieces and freeze in containers.

Storage:

  • Melon is recommended to be stored in a cool, dry place at a temperature of 10-12 °C.
  • Never store a melon in the refrigerator if it is not yet ripe, as this can result in a loss of flavor and texture.
  • For longer storage, you can store the melon in a cool closet, but not more than 2-3 weeks.

Melon is a delicious and healthy fruit that can be eaten fresh and used in salads, desserts and drinks. By following simple tips for growing, harvesting and storing melons, you can enjoy their taste and benefits throughout the season.

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