Melons are a warm season plant that enjoy average temperatures between 70 and 80 F. (21-27 C.). After all danger of frost has past and the ground is warm, cultivate the area well and remove any sticks and rocks. Form small hills in the soil because melons are vining plants.
Melon is a climbing annual plant, producing stems around 1.5 metres long that sprawl along the ground or into other plants where they attach themselves by means of tendrils.
The plant is widely cultivated for its edible fruit, in both gardens and commercially, from the warm temperate zone to tropical areas.
Fruit - raw-Very watery but with a delicate flavour, it is very refreshing. Rich in vitamins B andThe flesh of the fruit can be dried, ground into a powder and used with cereals when making bread, biscuits . The size of the fruit varies widely between cultivars but is up to 10cm long and 7cm wide.
Seed - raw- Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat. The seed contains between 12.5 - 39.1% oil.
Medicinal use
- The fruits can be used as a cooling light cleanser or moisturiser for the skin, They are also used as a first aid treatment for burns and abrasions
- The flowers are expectorant and emetic.
- The fruit is stomachic
- The root is diuretic and emetic
- The leaves are used to treat scrotal hernias
- The seed oil is used as a humectant and skin conditioner in commercial cosmetic preparation
Nutrition Facts of melon
- Amount Per 100 g
- Calories 34
- Total Fat 0.2 g,
- Sodium 16 mg
- Potassium 267 mg, 7% of daily
- Total Carbohydrate 8 g, 2% of daily
- Dietary fiber 0.9 g, 3% of daily
- Sugar 8 g
- Protein 0.8 g, 1% of daily
- Vitamin C, 61%
- Iron, 1%
- Vitamin B-6, 5%
- Magnesium, 3%
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