Gagon Cucumber

This rare Bhutanese cucumber thrives in cool northern climates, but also stands up to intense heat and humidity. It was collected in 1981 at a farmstore in the Trongsa district village of Poengenang, roughly in the geographical center of Bhutan. When fruits are immature and green they make a great cucumber for raw eating or pickling. When mature, it resembles the more common Indian variety ‘Poona Kheera’, but is darker-skinned, much bigger (up to 20” long in our experience), but still quite tasty. The flesh of the mature fruit is reminiscent of melons (which are cousins of cucumbers after all), and can be eaten raw, pickled, or turned into a delicious chutney. The flesh of the ripe fruit is traditionally cooked in Bhutan. For seed-savers, it’s refreshing to find a cucumber that is still useful once seeds are fully ripe. Watching these giants develop on the vine is one of the joys of summer! A portion of each sale is donated to Dr William Woys Weaver and Roughwood Seed Collection.