ABOUT THE PLANT

Another beloved plant. Fakous is one of those rare summer vegetables that is nearly impossible to find outside of Bilad al Sham, or the Levant (Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan). In Lebanon and Syria, it is known as maqta or ma’ta مقتي. We eat fakous like a cucumber though it is actually in the melon family. Fakous are subtly ribbed and can be striated in color (like top right photo) and have a soft fuzz on the skin that can be rubbed off if that is your preference.

PLANTING AND HARVESTING NOTES

Plant indoors in early spring or direct seed outside a few weeks after the last frost. Planting depth is about half an inch (a good rule of thumb for planting seeds is to plant to the depth of the size of the seed).

Plant 12 to 24 inches apart if growing on a trellis or 36 inches apart if not. Keep rows 3 to 4 feet apart. These plants love to crawl!

Harvest fruit when it is about 7-10 inches long (like the one pictured on the right).

SEED KEEPING NOTES

Select the fruits and/or plants that you would like to save for seed and leave on the plant for as long as possible. The fruits can get fairly large, about 18-24 inches long (see photo on bottom right). Before the plant has died or before the fruit starts rotting, harvest the fruit and let them sit for about a week before processing for seed.

Fakous seed is wet processed like cucumber seeds. Scoop out seeds into a bucket and fill with water. You want to have less than a quarter of the bucket filled with seed and the rest filled with water. Let that sit for 3-5 days, depending on the temperatures outside (if hotter, they can sit for a shorter period of time) and be sure to stir or spray with water each day. This process helps separate the seeds from the flesh and helps break down the outer coating around the seeds. Viable, healthy seeds are heavier and will sink to the bottom while non viable seeds are lighter and will float to the top. When the wet fermentation process is done, pour out water from the bucket, careful to not pour out the heavier seeds at the bottom. Keep rinsing/decanting the seeds until the water runs clear. Then pour the seeds out into a strainer and spread the seeds over a screen or a blanket and let them completely dry out of direct sunlight.

Once seeds are completely dry, you can store in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.

RECIPES/FOOD PREP

Fakous is often found among the large platters of seasonal fruits that are eaten in the summers in Palestine. We eat it whole, sometimes dipped in salt, and it has an unforgettable crunch, thin skin, and slightly sweet flavor—never bitter!

Fakous is also often pickled and are very delicious and maintain their crunch in this form.