Wild Cucumber

Visitors to the farm often ask about the vines they see that work their way across the top of fences and travel up from the base of trees along the road and near the river.

During the warm summer weather these vines can grow 20 feet or more with several of them sprouting from one root. When I tell visitors they are wild cucumbers the first question is if they are edible.

They are not edible. The insides are white with large seeds. The outside of the fruit is covered with spikes and the fruit feels like a science experiment gone bad; it has almost a slimy texture but without the wetness, just cool, soft and rubbery. When the fruit gets ripe it keeps the rubbery texture but will burst open and drop the peanut sized seeds for next years crop.

I have to discourage these plants along the road bank as I do with all the vegetation because of fire risks and the vines get so heavy on the trees and brush that it can break limbs or cause the brush to lean into the road. To grab a vine and pull it out is no big deal, don’t even need to wear gloves to pull it out by the roots. The trouble is finding the roots, with 20 feet of vine there is a lot of pulling to get all of the darn thing.