[Madame Cholet]

two of my plants are now almost 5 ft tall and side shoots like triffids any idea when they will start to fruit please

[Sparkyrog]

Clue please 

[Annen]

Sorry?  What's a fat baby? (Apart from a fat baby, of course)

[Madame Cholet]

achocha fat baby;curcubit family suposed to taste like a pepper when cooked and very prolific i'm old. looks like a spiky thing

[Annen]

Oh thanks, I've  heard of it, but I assumed it was like sweet potato, something that doesn't prosper in the frozen north-east

[Ema]

I've pulled off 4 pods so far they were only 2 inches I've know idea how big there supposed to get?!

I've grown mine up a tripod of twigs and there now also crawling across the floor lookig for somewhere to grow

[New shoot]

Take the side shoots off where excessive to focus energy onto fruit production.  Once they start, the fruits appear in fast succession, so have a furtle in the centre of the plant and you may find the first small pods.  They are a late season crop, so you should still be picking into September.

You can pick them small and eat the whole thing, but the pepper taste is not so strong.  If you leave them to get larger, they develop black seeds in the centre, so need deseeding like a pepper.  The flavour is stronger at this stage I think, but try both ways and see what you like.  Frying them gives the best result - nice in tortilla style omlelette or spag sauce.

The spikes are actually soft and rubbery and are fine to eat 

[Beetroot queen]

The post made me laugh as i thought fat baby.

I am off to google as i have never heard of them, mine you sticking fat baby in google may provide some interesting results 

[JayG]

I can confirm that Gurgling "Fat baby achocha" produces much more agreeable images than just "fat baby"       

[Debz]

I had the same thought as Beetroot Queen - probably becuase we are in the same situation at the moment.

[realfood]

They taste more like a cucumber than a pepper.

[Madame Cholet]

Just noticed today there seems to be some small flowers appearing. I'm thinking good for dehydrating to use in tomato sauces, pizza soups ect in the winter?

[Madame Cholet]

loads of flowers now!

[New shoot]

Once they start, the fruits should come thick and fast    They grow quickly so keep your eyes on them as really big pods are a bit dry.

They dehydrate well.  Smaller ones cut across into slices and bigger ones deseeded and cut into halves or quarters

[Madame Cholet]

thank you