Green Nutmeg Melon (
Cucumis melo cv.)
In 1811 Thomas Jefferson sent seed of the popular Nutmeg Melon, “which I know to be fine,” to his son-in-law, John Wayles Eppes. Mentioned in Bernard McMahon’s
The American Gardener’s Calendar, 1806, this aromatic, oval-shaped melon with heavily netted skin and sweet, green flesh, was commonly distributed by American seed merchants. Fearing Burr wrote in Field and Garden Vegetables of America, 1863:
“[when] the fruit is perfectly ripe, it is of most delicious excellence and deservedly ranked as ‘one of the best’.”
For more information & the possible availability for purchase
Contact
The Tho Jefferson Center for Historic Plants or
The Shop at Monticello
