Melons are a popular fruit of a Greek summer, but they tend to be a bit unwieldy in shape, if not heavy to carry. But a farmer Neo Agioneri, in the Kilkis area of northern Greece, has produced mini melons that "fit in a woman's evening bag, since some are slightly larger than a lipstick," as he jokes.

Panagiotis Yiltidis, who is also known for raising fruit and vegetables under the strains of classical music, said he took a chance when an older man in Israel sent him seeds. Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency radio station Praktoreio 104.9FM, he explains, "The people there are devoted to cultivating watermelons and melons, and I was initially doubtful when I tried it. But this year I see we are on the right path."

The mini melons are between a walnut and a tennis ball in size, and weigh no more than 200g. They look like a watermelon on the exterior, but are soft inside with seeds arranged in the middle like regular-sized melons. "A few days ago I had collected nearly 20 mini melons and was delivering something else in a restaurant of Halkidiki peninsula. I showed them to the owner and he became enthusiastic about them, as did a store owner selling organic products next door," the farmer adds.

Yiltidis notes he enjoys experimenting, and looking for either new seeds or traditional but forgotten ones. "I'm happy to have the opportunity to try them out in my field and see them grow," he adds.

He does acknowledge though that cultivating mini melons is not profitable, because the fruit needs to produce extensive foliage in order to produce a small melon of up to 150g. 

His farming practices have become a focus of researchers at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, while a television station in Germany wants to record how watermelons grow 'listening' to classical music.

(Photos courtesy of P. Yiltidis/ANA-MPA)