Bitter Again
Last week
John N. the nursery inspector from the
state department of agriculture made an official call on my nursery. This was a man who had seen and knew
virtually every species of plant grown in a state known for its nursery
industry. He immediately asked “What is
that, some sort of ornamental?” He was
referring to the bitter melon growing profusely on a trellis inside my
greenhouse and clambering out the door and window to greet any and all.
Two plants have
solidly covered an area 10’ by 20’ and are still extending as we enter
fall. The leaves are palmate like castor
bean and are almost completely clear of insect or physiological discoloration.
The flowers
are just numerous enough to catch your attention and they are a medium, clear
yellow that compliments the deep green of the foliage.
The fruit is
also ornamental, starting out as a pale green reptilian thing, It is usually harvested when about this size and you can find it in the produce sections of oriental grocers. Online recipes suggest that it be cooked with other vegetables in stir
fries. Frankly this is because the taste
by itself is overpowering. I find it
difficult to eat, but I imagine that skilled chefs can make it quite
palatable. The developing seeds and
their pulp should perhaps be scooped out…they don’t seem to alter the taste,
but their crunchiness is unpleasant.
The growing plant tips are edible and I can tolerate them raw. However, my preferred way to use bitter melon
is as an infusion or tea. I should add
that infusions are made from fresh tender plant parts and are brewed just like
tea. I chop leaves, stem, and fruit and
bring to a short boil. Its ready and
good…good for you. My four plant
medicine resources did not mention bitter melon, so I had to go to the internet
for its health benefits. Here’s my
condensation of what I found. Bitter
melon breaks down kidney stones, lowers cholesterol, has high vitamin K values, twice the beta-carotene of carrots, twice the calcium of spinach, and twice
the potassium of bananas. For my own use
its most important benefit is that it lowers blood sugar. This means that it makes the sugars from the
too many carbohydrates I consume less available to feed the cancer hanging on
in my bladder and trying to form in my prostate. This also helps diabetics.
Afterwards the fruit turns orange and spits out its seeds.
I think I
mentioned in my first bitter melon article that the seeds are coated with a sweet
and pleasant bright red pulp…too bad the entire seed isn’t juicy like the pulp!
Bitter Melon...A Plant for All Reasons
