PIEL DE SAPO SEEDS

Cucumis melo

Beloved selection of Spanish casaba, with a rough and wrinkled and sometimes lightly warted skin that apparently reminds someone of a toad. We think it looks more like the skin of a frog, but no need to split hairs over melons that resemble amphibians. The important thing is that Piel de Sapo, when grown in ideal conditions, is among the sweetest melons on Earth.

Like many of the best things in Spain, casaba melons were brought to the region centuries ago, when Islam was a civilizing force in Europe. These melons are almost certainly Persian in origin, and over the course of many millennia several distinct varieties have been selected as the fruits were dispersed over diverse locales, though Piel de Sapo is one of the few marketed by name today in Spain and in specialty markets around the world. Where it is not sold by name it is easily recognized by its peculiar exterior.

Much to the chagrin of growers in the Northeast, these plants require a long hot dry summer to produce the sweetest fruit. Best in the desert Southwest, the Central Valley of California, and in the loess soils of the Midwest. Where seasons are short the seeds should be started early indoors and transplanted once soils have warmed. Long vines need plenty of sun and good fertility. Water deeply at least weekly only until flowers appear along the vines, after which water may be withheld except during extremely hot dry spells. Requires nearly 100 warm days to ripen. Ripeness is indicated by small cracks and a yellow blush. These ripe fruits will keep for months, and the sweet crisp flesh is a genuine delight in the dead of winter.

Packet contains at least 30 seeds.