Jim, My comment is tangential, as I have no culinary experience with it, but when I saw the name Melothria, my mind flashed to one of the worst weeds in my yard, Melothria pendula. (This even though it is apparently native, and, if one can believe the USDA site, even has threatened or endangered status in a few US states farther north and east. I could send them truckloads, if anyone actually wanted them.) My faint memory from previous research was that M. pendula wasn't edible, though clearly birds and other things here in NW Arkansas think they're candy, but a quick Google upon reading your note shows discord on the subject. At least one site says that M. pendula is eaten pickled when green and is good when fully ripe, but another says it's a strong laxative. (I suppose the two are not mutually exclusive.) The pictures of M. scabra on the link in your post look very similar to M. pendula except for the color of the fruit. M. pendula is completely black when fully ripe. Steve On Tue, 10 Feb 2009, James Waddick wrote: > Dear Friends, > I know enough of you and your culinary wanderings, that I > thought I'd ask if you know of this little vine commonly called 'Cuke > Nuts' or 'Mouse Melon" (don't you love these common names?) and > botanically as Melothria scabra. This is a Mexican cucurbit with > edible fruits. > > Never saw or heard of it before seeing this web site: > > http://friendsschoolplantsale.com/archives/328/ > > Any experiences to share? -- Steve Marak -- samarak@gizmoworks.com