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Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) |
A visitor thought he found a strange creature in our garden a week or so ago.
Master Gardner Yen Chen several years ago planted some bitter melon seeds for plants to climb the arbor leading into our forest garden. It has thrived and reseeded each year to cover at least half of the arbor. Like so many unfamiliar things, we have admired it and wondered how to use it, but haven’t really figured that out yet. The leaves are attractive, it doesn’t get carried away with its growth and take over, and the fruits are fascinating.
There are quite a few different varieties of bitter melon, which is in the cucurbitacae family along with cucumbers, squash, and gourds. The variety we are growing is about four or five inches long, green, and warty, and is probably an Indian variety. There are also Chinese varieties which are longer, smoother, and more bitter. It is one of the most popular vegetables to grow in China and a number of other Asian countries.
When the fruit matures, it turns golden yellow to orange and opens up, revealing bright red globules, called arils, which contain the seeds. Actually, it looks carnivorous, and we keep expecting it to say “Feed me!“
Asian cuisines include bitter melon in stir fries, soups, and salads. It is often salted briefly, like eggplant or cucumber, or blanched to reduce its bitterness. It is widely reported to have significant health benefits and is an important part of the diet on Okinawa, where many people live beyond 100 years. Bitter melon is credited with contributing to their longevity.
The red flesh around the seeds is sweet and juicy. The seed inside each moist globule should not be eaten.
The seeds don’t germinate until the ground is quite warm, the vines grow throughout the summer and bear fruit midsummer through fall, until cold or freezing temperatures kill it back.
It has been growing in an area of our garden which has no irrigation and it has not been fertilized. We have noticed no pests or diseases on the healthy vines.
More information: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1271
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Chayote or Mirliton (Sechium edule) |
Another vine which dependably returns each year is the Chayote, also a cucurbit. It is a sub-tropical perennial which returns from the roots, getting a late start and hiding its abundant fruit under the leaves. We often don’t recognize that we have a bumper crop until the leaves start to die back in the fall, revealing fruits that had been hidden from us. It needs so little care that we forget about looking for fruit.
It too is growing in our forest garden without irrigation and without fertilization, although we do mulch and grow cover crops in the area to add organic matter to the soil. The spent vines and leaves are piled around the base of the plant to add more organic matter and insulate the roots over the winter.
We haven’t noticed any of the diseases and pests which usually plague cucurbits in our area. It is a large plant and the fruits are heavy, so you will need a substantial arbor to support it.
Most of the plant can be eaten, including the tubers, and it is also reported to have many health benefits. It is a popular vegetable in areas where it grows, and is produced commercially in Costa Rica and other tropical areas. You don’t often see it in grocery stores, so it is relatively unknown in other parts of the country. In Louisiana it is used as a seasonal vegetable referred to as mirliton, and is often seen on Thanksgiving tables.
The sturdy Chayote fruit can be used much like squash, cucumbers, or potatoes. It’s firmer than summer squash and is similarly mild in flavor. If left on your counter for several weeks, it may sprout from the blossom end and begin to occupy your kitchen. It can be planted in the soil with the sprouting end exposed but the sprout should have contact with the soil in order to develop roots. It should be protected from freezing temperatures. We haven’t tried overwintering one in a pot to be planted in the soil when weather warms. Perhaps we’ll do that this year.
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