CUCUMBERS/MELON

In cultivation for more than 4,000 years, cucumbers are thought to have originated in south India, but had made their way to Europe in medieval times. Besides their use in salads, they are popular combined with yoghurt as a refreshing accompaniment to meats and curries and the dwarf varieties are made into pickles. There are three main varieties of melons: Cantaloupe melons named after the town of the same name near Rome, Netted melons (rock melons) with a characteristic reticulated surface pattern, and winter melons (honey dew) which mature late autumn, and unlike the other melons, continue to ripen after picking.