When I was a girl my Grandma Bird would grow Plum Grannies in her garden every year. At their peak of ripeness she would pick them and set them in her window sills. With the window open, their fragrance would fill the room.
The Plum Granny is a gourd like melon and is also known as Queen Anne's Pocket Melon. Legend has it that Queen Anne kept a Plum Granny in her pocket as a sachet. The history of this ornamental fruit can be traced back to the Egyptians, who also prized it for its fragrance.
I grew them this year in a straw bale where they vined out similar to a cucumber. When ripe they have a yellow and orange striped marking.
The Plum Granny is also known by the names pomegranate melon, plumgranny, or vegetable peach.
Any of you ever heard of this little gem?
have never heard of or seen these! interesting!
ReplyDeleteThis is new to me. It sure sounds interesting. I wish I could smell it.
ReplyDeleteNope, never heard of this one! But I like it, very interesting. You really have me curious about the aroma now so these will have to go on the "to try" garden list next year. Did you order the seeds on-line or get them local?
ReplyDeleteI haven not but they sound intriguing. I am going to add it to my 'to plant' list for next year!
ReplyDeleteNot I...wish I could smell it:)
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of those! How is that possible? They remind me a little of that lemon drop melon I talked about this summer...at least in size! How cute!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of them in years! My Gram grew them!
ReplyDeleteNever heard of it but I'm fascinated. Planting things just for their fragrance is becoming a lost art.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of it...how very interesting that it smells so lovely. I wonder what makes it only ornamental?
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
I have not...Let me know how they taste.
ReplyDeleteFarmchick -- I had never heard of this melon before so I did a little searching. Found out they are heirloom and can be bought very reasonable at New Hope Seed:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newhopeseed.com/plum_granny.html
Victorian woman carried them when they hadn't taken a bath in a while -- for their scent. Can eat but are bland.
Thanks Farmchick for introducing these -- I will order some for next year.
No, but I am 99% sure I would love both the aroma AND the flesh of such a fruit! Fascinating! Now I want some, yum!
ReplyDeleteSo, will they be part of this year's harvest decorations?
ReplyDeleteVery Interesting....no, I have never heard of these1
ReplyDeleteSomething new! I've never heard of those. Are they easy to grow?
ReplyDeleteI've never seen those before...they sound delicious though!!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of plumgrannies before! Do they require as long to grow as melons?
ReplyDeleteI told my husband about your bale growing and we decided it would be the way to go for our garden next
year.
Have a great weekend!
nope never heard of it before! So do they taste like a normal melon???
ReplyDeleteIt sure turned out like a goodlooking fruit!
Hope you have a great weekend!
Leontien
This is all new to me, but I enjoyed reading about the plum granny.
ReplyDeleteLeah - I ordered these seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. You can get a free catalog and it is a gorgeous publication.
ReplyDeleteSherri B - Their flavor is supposed to be not so great, but their fragrance is lovely. My grandmother never ate them. Just used them for fragrance.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of these. Wondering what the inside looks like. Did you taste it?
ReplyDeleteThey look like the little gourds I use in Thanksgiving decorations, but I've never noticed a fragrance.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Plumgrannies, but they are a cute little gourd that would look nice in fall arangements. And a bonus if it smells good too.
ReplyDeleteWow cute melons...!
ReplyDeleteNever heard of them either, but they look interesting to grow. Maybe they can replace artificial car fresheners ! ;-)
ReplyDeleteLove em.
ReplyDeleteRandy - I didn't eat them. My grand always told me they weren't for eating!
ReplyDeleteI have honestly never heard of it! It's a cute little thing though, I'd like to taste one.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog by the way! It's beautiful :)
-Abby
www.picturebritain.com
Love it when I find out something NEW! Tell us more about growing in a straw bale...
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting fruit! I never heard of it before and now I'm curious to smell its fragance.
ReplyDeleteThe one in your hand looks like a lemon cucumber. Is it about that same size? I have never heard of the Granny. Unusual.
ReplyDeleteSounds lovely : )
ReplyDeleteAt first, I thought you were talking about a plump granny. Mine was.
ReplyDeletenever heard of it...but i know this..i wish it was in MY kitchen window !!!
ReplyDeletekary and teddy
xx
How neat; I've never heard of of it. I'm sad that our gardening season is winding down, though we have a few things on the horizon for the fall.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week! xo
No-but I'd like to grow them too : )
ReplyDeleteso cool...I've never heard of them...learned something new today...
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I've never heard of it before either. It was good to see the size comparison ... & it looks like a child of the same family !!
ReplyDeleteI bought two of these from a farmer at the Pulaski TN farmers market. I had never seen them, and understood him to say "pomegranate" which I knew it was not. He told me that they are mainly used for fragrance, and these two were amazingly fragrant. After a futile time on google with terms like "fragrant striped fruit" I stopped in at our Ag Extension center in Nashville. They struck out too,but sent a photo to UT Knoxville, where I got a very nice response from Prof. Carl Sams, who not only identified it, but waxed nostalgic about his grandmother growing them. He said he hadn't seen one for years. I have my seeds out drying right now, and hope to grow from them next spring.
ReplyDeleteI live near Knoxville, TN, and though in my mid-30s now, fondly remember buying these for a quarter each at local fleamarkets. They would keep.thier lovely fruity/musky scent for about 7-10 days.. A nice organic room scenter, especially for me as a 10-12 year old. Thanks for the memory lane trip ;)
ReplyDeleteI live near Knoxville, TN, and though in my mid-30s now, fondly remember buying these for a quarter each at local fleamarkets. They would keep.thier lovely fruity/musky scent for about 7-10 days.. A nice organic room scenter, especially for me as a 10-12 year old. Thanks for the memory lane trip ;)
ReplyDeleteBoy does this take me back! Growing up in Southern Indiana we would raise these. As kids we would carry them around to smell the fragrance and keep in our room. The breeze from the open window would spread the fragrance thoughout the room
ReplyDeleteI am from North Carolina. I remember as a child my grandparents planted some of these plum grannies. They did have a lovely sweet smell that lasted for days. I think my grandparents only used them for their fragrance.
ReplyDelete