What looks like a watermelon...but isn't?

[justbrowsing]

I know I'm really late to the party, but I believe it is a Citron. I found this page helping an 80 year old customer try to remember the name of this fruit. He grew up in Alabama and said local watermelon farmers would plant Citrons in their fields with watermelons to deter thieves. He said the average Joe couldn't tell them apart. He also said that Citrons were not tasty, but he would pickle them and said they were good like that.

 

[k0ua]

They sound like they would make excellent ammunition to me in a pseudo punkin chunking contest. Since they are more round and way tougher than a watermelon, they would not likely "pie" in a high velocity air cannon. Or a centrifugal machine either. So grow them as ammo. OR use them as targets. :thumbsup: In any case, they sound like fun in the making...

 

[Oaktree]

I planted a food plot this spring with one of those commercial food plot mixes. It had sorghum, soy beans, sunflowers, millet, cow peas, etc etc.

Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by a "food plot"? To me it would mean a vegetable garden, but clearly that's not what what you have. Never heard the term before.

 

[k0ua]

Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by a "food plot"? To me it would mean a vegetable garden, but clearly that's not what what you have. Never heard the term before.

You don't deer hunt? Food plots are planted in areas easily accessible to animals. Often the things planted are designed to feed cervids (deer like animals) and often are designed to provide nutrition to these animals to speed growth of their bodies and antlers.

 

[stuckmotor]

Citrons used to grow wild at my family's old homeplace in Clarendon County. My memory is that they look like small Charleston grays while the one in the picture reminded me more of a small a crimson sweet. Oh well, maybe citrons come in different varieties.

 

[N80]

What an old thread this is. They were in fact citrons. I came to find out that one of the dried fruits in traditional Christmas fruit cake is candied citron. I'm one of the few who really likes a good homemade, rum soaked fruit cake......but not enough to bother with growing citrons. You can still but the candied citron.

 

[Oaktree]

You don't deer hunt? Food plots are planted in areas easily accessible to animals. Often the things planted are designed to feed cervids (deer like animals) and often are designed to provide nutrition to these animals to speed growth of their bodies and antlers.

Never heard of that before. Around here deer are pests enough as it is, no need to try and attract them.

You're right, I'm not a hunter. Don't have problems with others doing it, just has no appeal to me at all.

 

[k0ua]

Never heard of that before. Around here deer are pests enough as it is, no need to try and attract them.

You're right, I'm not a hunter. Don't have problems with others doing it, just has no appeal to me at all.

Some plant food plots for turkeys and other game birds too.

 

[DrRod]

What an old thread this is. They were in fact citrons. I came to find out that one of the dried fruits in traditional Christmas fruit cake is candied citron. I'm one of the few who really likes a good homemade, rum soaked fruit cake......but not enough to bother with growing citrons. You can still but the candied citron.

I believe that the candied citron in fruit cake is made from the citrus citron not the melon type. And have we all learned more than we ever thought possible about this obscure fruit? You just have to love this site.

 

[stuckmotor]

I believe that the candied citron in fruit cake is made from the citrus citron not the melon type. And have we all learned more than we ever thought possible about this obscure fruit? You just have to love this site.

X2
For years I'd thought the citron in fruit cake was the melon type but after this thread, I'm not so sure.