Ananas Yoqne’am Heirloom Melon Origin

Origin

Ananas Yoqne’am was bred and cultivated by Nathan Rabinowitz, a Romanian-born resident of ‘Yokneam’ that had formal agricultural training in France.

Ananas Yoqne’am melon was cultivated from a traditional landrace variety called "shamn", which had been grown by Arab farmers and was known locally as a species Bloody golden. The origins of this melon are unknown, the first evidence of melon plants are from Egypt around 2400 BC. Melons slowly dispersed in the Middle East through the biblical days.

1950 melon selection

This melon grows on dry land, without irrigation. Seeds sown in early spring use available moisture in an air and ground water residue from winter rains to produce its fruits.

The selection process took place over several years, Rabinowitz managed to achieve a high quality fruit and melons uniformity which was much better than the landrace origin. Rabinowitz began commercially producing melons as his new breed of Yokneam melon around 1950.

From the first day, Ananas Yoqne’am, acclaimed exceptional taste, sweetness and aroma,and was considered far superior to any other melons in the Israeli market. Do to its great properties the melon was extensively used as sources of germ cell beyond Israel itself, and has become an integral part of the international cucurbit manufacturing industry.

Ananas Yoqne’am reputation has spread across political boundaries often seeds were smuggled into hostile lands, the seeds were transferred secretly from Israel to neighboring countries in large areas of traditional middle eastern farming.