Lesson 6.4.0 BITTER MELON - Momordica charantia

 

FOOD FOREST COURSE

AGRO-ECONOMY Lesson 6.4.0 

BITTER MELON - Momordica charantia

  

Bitter melon originated in either China or India and is widely cultivated throughout Southeast Asia. It is a member of the cucurbit family, and it is known as balsam pear or bitter gourd. The fruit is used only at its very immature stage, because when it reaches maturity, it becomes too bitter to eat due to the alkaloid memorising. The bitter flavour can be reduced somewhat by parboiling and refreshing the water in between cooking or soaking in salt water. The bitter flavour is very much prized by the Asians, as they believe the fruits have many medicinal properties. 

 

The bitter melon grows on a very attractive vine and is worth growing just for its looks. It is fast growing and thrives in a damp and part sunny position. Male and female flowers appear in profusion, and they need insects to pollinate them. The male flowers make the first appearance, and they open up at sunrise to remain viable for only one day. They usually exceed the female flowers by 25 to 1. When the immature fruits appear, they are a light green in colour with white flesh on the inside. They have a knobbly appearance on the outside and look like nothing else you’ve ever seen.  Don’t leave the fruit on the vine too long as they ripen quite quickly, and you would have missed the opportunity to eat it. The fruit will turn a yellow colour then turn orange and then it will split open to reveal a bright red placenta to which the seeds are attached. There are quite a few varieties around including green and white bitter melon. They all need to be eaten in the very young stage.

Text from the roots, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC studied with Bill Mollison:



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