A few months ago, Gary Powell asked me if I had ever seen a plumgranny. I said “Not only have I never seen one, I’ve never even heard of one!” Gary was nice enough to send me two.
Our mailbox is a ways from the house so we don’t check it unless we’re going out or coming in. When Gary’s gift arrived it sat in the mailbox for a day or so. Even though the plumgrannys were sealed in a box when I opened the mailbox I could smell them and oh they smelled so good!
Cucumis melo var. dudaim-better known as Plumgrannys belong to the melon family. As I Googled around I found varying opinions on whether the small melon is edible. However all sources were in agreement that plumgrannys blow the top off the smell meter, yet barely raise the meter when it comes to taste.
Other common names for plumgrannys: pomegranate, ornamental pomegranate, tigger melon, vegetable peach, apple melon, and perhaps most famously Queen Anne’s Pocket Melon (she supposedly carried one in her pocket to ensure she smelled like a Queen).
Plumgrannys grow on a cucumber like vine and will grow well on a trellis or you can simply let the vine roam across the ground where it will.
You can go here: Plumgrannies An Aromatic Plant to read an especially interesting article written by Patsy Watts.
The best thing about Gary’s gift, well other than having my kitchen smell heavenly for over a week, is that now I have my own plumgranny seeds and I can’t wait to see how many I can grow next summer.
Tipper
This post was originally published here on the Blind Pig in November of 2011.
Ever heard of a plum granny. Had a Native American for a neighbor. She spoke of a “granny pump”! Me thinks it is/was same fruit.
Never heard of them but just purchased some on Ebay. Can’t wait to grow them. I’m always up for growing something new.
Rudy in Georgia
Never heard of them. They’re pretty though, aren’t they.
God bless.
RB
<><
We have lots of cucumbers and squash. Our tomatoes and green beans are looking very good. Our whole garden this year is So True Seed!
Yes they smell wonderful but not good for eating. These have been known in my family for at least 150 years, in the Upper Cumberland region of eastern middle Tennessee.
The smell of a Plumgranny reminds me of that of the Sweet Bubby which reminds me of old lady perfume. You know the smell that lingers in the aisle of the grocery store long after she has gone.
You are going to think I am a nut but some of my favorite scents are snuff, garlic and fresh cut pine.
Speaking of snuff, I forget who she was but I remember hearing my uncle Wayne call lady a “snuff eating Jezebel”
I used to raise them as a youngster. They are like vanilla and fresh ground coffee in that it would be great if they tasted like they smell.
That’s a new one on me. I like the name.
Tipper,
I don’t know anything about plum-
grannys, never smelled or tasted
’em. They’re awfully pretty tho,
look like small, striped punkins.
I think I’ve seen ’em in the gro.
store where I shop…Ken
This year was a total crop failure for plumgrannys. I bought the seeds on ebay so, I was taking a chance anyway. There’s always next year!
This is a new one for me! It will be interesting to see what you get next year and the recipe you might just come up with.
Sounds like I’d better start my wish list for Garden 2016!
A long time before scented candles and plug in fragrances hit the market, folks would place a plumgranny in a bowl with fresh flowers for a centerpiece that smelled heavenly. I don’t recall ever eating one though.
It’s a funny looking little thing. It looks like it should be edible, when it grows up.
Tipper: Those plumgrannys were growing at my Grandma Mull’s farm up on Tusquittee. On our Sunday visits, we helped ourselves to them and her Concord grapes – after riding many miles in a slow moving horse-drawn wagon. Healthy living!
Eva Nell
It has been quite a while but, yes, I have both smelled them and eaten them. Love the smell but, as you said, taste – not so much. Somebody should make plumgranny candles or air freshner. And they are cute besides.
I should have thought of them instead of planting morning glories to run on the fence. (BTW,turns out deer like morning glories.)