Easy to Grow, Tender Delicious Serpent Cucumbers

And easy recipe suggestions for this tasty delicacy.

I discovered one of my favorite vegetables fifty years ago in Arizona.

Arizona is so hot in the summer; traditional cucumbers don’t pollinate well and become bitter once the temps stay over 90+ degrees.

Browsing through a seed rack at a local store, I found a packet with an odd-looking striped green serpent-shaped fruit on the front.

The Painted Serpent cucumber for the win.

This delectable cuke may also be called the serpent melon, and the plain, light green type is known as the Armenian cucumber.

In my extensive experience, all the variants tasted the same; sweet and delicious with thin, edible skin.

We ordered most of our seeds from Johnny’s Seeds, and they call this variety Striped Armenian cucumber.

Johnny’s acknowledges it’s in the melon family, which makes it better adapted to growing in the extreme summer heat. It won’t become bitter in the heat as traditional cucumbers do.

For the geeky among us, the scientific name is Cucumis melo flexuous.

Cucumbers can sprout in only three days in warm soil.

As with all melons, wait until the soil is quite warm (over 60 degrees) before planting. Armenian cucumbers do well in most soil types with plenty of compost. However, since they are mostly water, they require a steady supply as they grow. You can begin harvesting about 65 days after planting.

The vines can grow six feet long or more, so give them plenty of room to sprawl.

Trellising keeps the fruits off the ground.

This makes them much easier to find and keeps them cleaner, too. You can trellis them on a fence but be sure it has large spaces, so the cucumbers do not get trapped in the wire.

Unlike regular cucumbers, these vines do NOT have tendrils, so you have to gently lift the vines onto the trellis, weaving them in and out.

Harvest the cucumbers at any length, ideally when they are no more than five inches around. They are delicious at any size, but the seeds enlarge as the fruits become larger. As you can see in the photo at the top, the cucumbers are quite long and still slender.

Easy to grow and nearly disease-free

Here in central Texas, I recommend making a second planting in mid-June to harvest through the fall.

Many people assume that as long as a plant clings to life, it will keep producing. But like all living things, plants have a specific reproductive lifespan and will attract insects and become disease prone as they age. So once your new cucumbers begin to bear, it’s time to compost the vines of the first planting.

How to eat these tender cucumbers.

An important attribute of these varieties is their lack of a peel. Just wash and slice!

Many of our Farmer’s Market customers juiced the serpent cucumbers for a refreshing summer beverage, often adding some mint leaves.

These cucumbers are perfect to use for Greek Tzatziki Sauce. This recipe from The Mediterranean Dish is my favorite.

Combine thinly sliced cucumbers and red onions, add some balsamic vinegar, and marinate for a few hours for a delicious refrigerator pickle. I’ve tried using them in a traditional pickling recipe, and they didn’t remain as crisp as I prefer. However, they made a delicious pickle relish.

Kids love the fun of carrying a whole Serpent Cucumber around as they enjoy a healthy, refreshing snack.

Armenian or Striped Serpent. This is one easy-to-grow treat you need to try. Let me know what you think.