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O'odham Ke:li Ba:so

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Cucumis melo. A favorite of Tohono O'odham and Akimel O'odham low- desert farmers. Fruits are casaba type with light green flesh. Very tasty—a staff favorite. The name in the O'odham language means "Old man’s chest“ referring to the wrinkly appearance of the fruit. O'odham men often refer to the fruit as “ohks tohn” which translates to "old woman's knees."

Origin: low desert, about 1000' elevation
Approx. 1g/25 seeds per packet.
Limit 3 packets.

These seeds are part of our conservation program and are not available for purchase. They are only available through Native American Seed Share

NASS Code

$4.50

Absolutely delicious

I grew a few of these last year in my Tucson city backyard. Similar to the other reviewer my first melon was like a sweet cucumber and kind of u underwhelming. I left the other fruits on the vine for several more weeks until eventually I came back. My gosh those were the sweetest most tender melons. Like the best cantaloupe or honeydew you’ve ever had. So good that I’m planting again this year!

Even yellow, its like eating a slightly sweet cucumber

I am not a fan. It's a really beautiful melon, but the taste is meh. Not bad, but meh. It does not really taste like a dessert. It tastes like a slightly sweet cucumber. I waited until they turned yellow to try. BTW, this melon takes forever to ripen. Aside from being beautiful, its a no go for me. If you just want something like a juicy cucumber and that is pretty, I'd pass.

Harvest Questions

This is growing great and producing tons of melons, but I’m not sure what signs to look for to know when to harvest them! They are starting to turn paler yellow but are not slipping off the vine on their own.

Growing this

I can't wait to try mine I am curious how long til they mature??

Great experience

Placing my order was easy and I received my order fast.

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O'odham Ke:li Ba:so

Customer Reviews