It's been a while since I've done this! As my image hosting has had to move, here's a hastily-assembled page of these brave experiments. The premise is simple - on the other side of the town from our house is an import market with an incredible fruit and vegetable section, some of which aren't even from this planet. I try to pick an unusual-looking one out every time we go, and then attempt to eat it if I can find out how to do so.

Even after searching around the Internet I have barely any idea what this is. Wikipedia lists it under Solanum muricatum, but I'm not calling it that. Other names include "pepino melon" and "melon pear", despite it being more closely biologically related to an ostrich than either pears or melons. "Pepino" seems to be the best we've got, despite it also meaning "cucumber" in Spanish and this isn't related to cucumbers either.

Anyway. When you cut it in half, you get something that is close enough to a melon, with flesh around the outside and seeds in the centre - the skin, despite its soft and inviting texture, isn't usually eaten. You can scoop out the seeds and eat it with a spoon, or cut it into slices - the one I had here was a little overripe and so I could just carve the halves out of the skin.

It tastes like a pear that wanted to grow up different. The texture is almost identical to a ripe pear - juicy but a tiny bit mealy - but the taste has hints of cucumber to it, something that I hadn't really identified until I saw it mentioned in the Wikipedia article. It's a little unusual, but I wouldn't mind having this one again. A successful venture!