Pepino Dulce (Solanum muricatum)

Sweet Pepino (Solanum muricatum): from the Andes, an unusual fruit with a delightful flavor and inviting appearance. The heart-shaped fruit is yellow with purple streaks, fragrant, with firm yet tender flesh, very few seeds, and an exotic flavor somewhere between a melon and a pear (hence the common name melon-pear). The plant has a bushy habit, is very productive, and tolerates low temperatures (down to -10°C), though not for prolonged periods. It can therefore be grown in many areas of Italy as a perennial, while in areas with prohibitive winter temperatures, it can be grown as an annual, producing fruit the same year as sowing. It is an exceptionally hardy species, with no particular soil requirements and affected by very few plant diseases, growing and producing rapidly. It propagates easily from cuttings; simply cut a portion of a branch and place it in water to see it root within a few days. It is a plant that will give you great satisfaction, even for beginners who will be able to gain experience with rooting cuttings (made easier here).
In Central and Southern Italy, production lasts approximately 9 months a year.