Where can I purchase viable seeds to grow Chinese Shark Fin Melons?
My family recently purchased one of these delicious melons from NYC
Chinatown, but the seeds inside were undeveloped and unsuitable for
growing. I am looking for valid contact information (e.g., name,
address, telephone, email or URL) for a company or a person who sells
viable seeds by mail to U. S. customers.
Photographs of this melon can be found at:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/asianveg/msg0901220510853.html
The shark fin melon's flesh, like spaghetti squash, is comprised of
fibers that separate into strands upon being cooked. These strands are
not unlike the strands of cooked shark fin fibers, hence the Chinese
common nickname "Shark Fin Melon." |
Request for Question Clarification by
googleexpert-ga
on
13 Mar 2003 12:56 PST
Hi aiku,
I think "Shark Fin Melon" in chinese is called "Doan Gwa" but I am not
sure,
http://www.banana-tree.com/Orientals.htm
http://members.getgoin.net/~jgettle/flowers.html
I haven't seen any pictures in reference to "Doan Gwa" but from the
description it comes close to the photo link you gave.
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Request for Question Clarification by
googleexpert-ga
on
14 Mar 2003 07:23 PST
I just wanted to know if you received my reply.
|
Clarification of Question by
aiku-ga
on
14 Mar 2003 11:53 PST
Dear GoogleExpert,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for looking at my question! My apologies for not
getting back to you sooner. Unfortunately, "dong gwa," (a Cantonese
transliteration of winter melon) is not the one. The key feature is
that the shark fin melon's flesh separates into stands. Here is some
dong gwa information from Evergreen Seeds. I think their charts of
names in other languages is helpful.
picture: http://www.store.yahoo.com/evergreenseeds/waxgourwinme.html
asian names: http://www.store.yahoo.com/evergreenseeds/wintermelon.html
Evergreen Seeds emailed me back saying that they didn't carry Shark
Fin Melon seed and that they couldn't help me.
I found this recipe for Sweet Shark's Fin Melon Soup:
http://thestar.com.my/kuali/recipes/05beh1102.html#melon
and in the paragraph above the recipe, the author comments that the
melon is also known as "Yee Chee Kuah."
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Request for Question Clarification by
googleexpert-ga
on
18 Mar 2003 17:40 PST
Hi again,
I found a link that might be what you're looking but can't be sure
from the picture.
http://www.agrohaitai.com/wintermelon.htm
Let me know if that helps you.
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Clarification of Question by
aiku-ga
on
19 Mar 2003 05:20 PST
Dear Google-expert,
Hi again! I'm sorry but http://www.agrohaitai.com/wintermelon.htm is
not a shark fin melon. It is another "dong gwa" or winter melon. A
shark fin melon is more round than oblong. On its skin, stripes
radiate out from the place where the stem is attached to the melon. My
original photo reference link,
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/asianveg/msg0901220510853.html,
has photos in full sun, but shows the stripes on the skin. I
appreciate your post! Regards, Aiku
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