Chayote

Sowing: Chayote is direct-sown by planting a whole sprouted fruit at an angle, in a hole as deep as the fruit is wide, with the wider end down and the stem end level with or just above the soil surface; sow in early spring, or also in fall in the mildest regions, in full sun with regular water.

Growing: The vigorous perennial vine climbs and needs sturdy support such as an arbor or trellis, often trained overhead so the fruit can be harvested in shade; separate male and female flowers are pollinated by bees and wasps. Fertilize about 30 days after planting once the vine is a few feet tall, and again in midsummer or as fruit begins to set; once established the plant returns yearly, with its best yields coming after 2-3 years.

Picking: Fruit develops roughly 35 days after pollination and reaches its ideal harvest stage about 18 to 21 days after flowering, when it is picked young so the skin and single internal seed are still soft and edible; from transplanting, first fruits typically follow 120 to 150 days.

Storage: Harvested chayote keeps for only about ten days at room temperature, since disease can set in quickly and the seed inside may begin sprouting within the fruit. It holds longer refrigerated, wrapped in a paper towel inside a plastic bag, or for one to two weeks at room temperature in a cool, dry, dark spot.

Culinary: Chayote is grown chiefly as a vegetable and is prepared much like summer squash: boiled, baked, fried, stewed, pickled, or worked into soups, stews, salads, and casseroles. The whole plant is edible, including the seed, skin, shoots, leaves, and roots, and in some Caribbean cooking the fruit is stewed as a stand-in for apples in pies.

Medicinal: In Mexican traditional medicine, a tea brewed from chayote leaves has historically been used for kidney stones and for lowering blood pressure.

Chayote originated in the Americas, with sources pointing to Mesoamerica, before spreading into cultivation across other tropical and subtropical regions of the world, where it naturalized as a garden and market crop.