Greetings!
Unless things change (which they always can đ),
weâre going to be getting Bitter Melon this week!
Let me know if any of these links are no longer working as I
didnât have time to check them.
When it comes to foods like Bitter Melon, PLEASE heed my
wordsâŠ
Bitter Melon is the most healing/medicinal food on the
planet BUT more is NOT better. Since itâs bitter, itâs an acquired taste for
most Americans, while in most of the rest of the world this vegetable is no
stranger to the pantry.
Keep in mindâŠany time you try a food youâve never
eaten beforeâŠ
- Do some reading about what it is, and find out if there
are medical contraindications if youâre on medication or have health
issues
- Eat a single serving size and give it 24 hours to see
how your body reacts (some might be fine, a lot might not)
- When in doubt how to cook something, look to the
countries that have been using it for decades/centuries, and see what they
do and donât do
- Any questions, please donât hesitate to ask
Over the years weâve had the South Asian/Indian variety and
the Chinese variety but not sure which one will show up this week.
This is the green/early yellowing stage and DONâT eat the
internal seeds or pith (scrape it out with a spoon and compost or chuck it),
and DONâT eat it at all if it turns yellow/orange. As odd as it might seem,
itâs only eaten when NOT ripe (green/greenish yellow), and when itâs fully ripe
(yellow/orange and if itâs REALLY ripe it goes Alien and explodes with bright
red seeds popping out), itâs NEVER eaten for culinary purposes.
Hereâs 2 simple recipesâŠ
Baked Bitter Melon ChipsâŠ
https://kitchenkemistry.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/oh-my-gourd-baked-bittergourd-chips/
Bitter Melon and Scrambled Eggs (how easy is thisâŠI donât
bother soaking/salting and Iâd add Soy Sauce/Tamari/Braggs Amino/Coconut Aminos
at the end)âŠ
http://www.daydaycook.com/recipe/1/details/1023/Bitter-Melon-Scrambled-Eggs.html
Cooking with Bitter MelonâŠ
http://bittermelon.org/learn/cookingbittermelon
If youâre a juicer or smoothie kind of person (CSA member
Karen Rubino puts Banana in her Bitter Melon smoothies)âŠI would start with a 1â
piece of Bitter Melon to start and work my way up but NEVER go overboardâŠtoo
much Bitter Melon juice will tank your blood sugar level and you could end up
passing out!
http://justjuice.org/bitter-melon-juice/
https://www.rebootwithjoe.com/in-the-reboot-kitchen-green-bitter-melon-juice/
And if youâre a fan of cocktails, hereâs one using Bitter
Melon (a number of years ago I inspired a NYC mixologist to develop a Bitter
Melon Daiqiri and it was quite yummy đ)!
https://www.saveur.com/japanese-green-gin-bitter-melon-cocktail-recipe/
Selecting and storingâŠ
http://bittermelon.org/learn/selectingbittermelon
Nice post and recipe about Bitter MelonâŠ
http://baconbutterbooze.blogspot.com/2011/09/ingredient-spotlight-bitter-melon.html
Most cultures eat Bitter Melon with Eggs, Pork or BeefâŠthe
fat content in all of these lessens the taste of the bitterness. Tofu doesnât
have enough fat to make this happen but it can be substituted if thatâs what
you eat. And if you donât eat any of the above, you can just saute and eat. If
you want to eat it raw, try it in a smoothie BUT start with only an inch chunk,
or donât drink a lot and see how you reactâŠit can lower your blood sugar levels
and depending on you (and if youâre not used to eating it), you could get dizzy
or pass out (if it gets too low and youâre dizzyâŠheaven forbidâŠeat one of the
following - 3 tsp. honey/1 cup milk/1/2 cup fruit juice/2 tbs. raisins - wait
15 minutes and you should feel better)!
http://www.biohackersrecipes.com/bitter-melon-turmeric-smoothie/
Easy recipeâŠ
Bitter Melon with EggsâŠ
http://wishfulchef.com/bitter-melon-eggs/
Vegan Bitter Melon dish (Iâd get the seeds and pith
outâŠdonât care what this person saysâŠand I donât bother with soaking and
saltingâŠless bitter = less medicinalâŠand I like fewer steps in cooking if
possible, not moreâŠbut you can try and see what you like better)âŠ
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Bitter-Melon-Curry-1648169?columns=4&position=3%2F71
Vegan stuffed Bitter Melon recipeâŠthis looks really goodâŠ
http://holycowvegan.net/2011/03/stuffed-bitter-melons-karela.html
Beef with Bitter MelonâŠ
http://thewoksoflife.com/2015/07/beef-with-bitter-melon/
Hereâs some basic infoâŠ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia
Didnât know itâs used in some Beers instead of Hops! I learn
something new about this vegetable every year.
Read the Side Effects and InteractionsâŠ
Where to eat Bitter Melon (I donât know about you, but I
like to learn to cook by eating)âŠ
Thai USA
Huntington
NOT on the menu â ask for Bitter Melon (they donât have it
all the timeâŠcalled Mala in Thai)
Served as a side dish stir-fried with oil, salt & pepper
with Eggs (I get this with Brown Rice as part of a meal that Iâm sharingâŠhave
gotten my partner to eat thisâŠdoesnât love it like I do but will eat it)
The Orient
Bethpage
NOT on the menu â ask for Bitter Melon (called Foo Gua in
Cantonese and Koo Gua in Mandarin)
Served as a dish for 4 people (main dish size) and can be
requested with Black Beans Sauce OR Pork OR Beef (have had Black Bean Sauce,
and Pork)
House of Dosa
Hicksville
On the menu â order the âHealthy Saladâ and itâs Bitter
Melon (called Kerala in most of India) stir fried till itâs like Bitter Melon
jerky with Tomatoes, Onions, Cilantro (this is Bitter Melon 101 â very easy to
eat)
Main St Taiwan
Flushing
Numerous Bitter Melon dishes on the menuâŠIâve had them all
(feel free to ask for details if interested) but thenâŠI love Bitter Melon
Tito Radâs
Woodside
Filipino restaurant and Bitter Melon is called Ampalaya.
They have numerous dishes with Bitter Melon. Have had the Shrimp with Eggs and
Bitter Melon, and the Pinakbet I think has Bitter Melon in it though it doesnât
say so (if not here, Iâve had Pinakbet at other Filipino places that didâŠthis
is my fave place so far). Will go back and eat everything they have with Bitter
Melon in it.
If you know of any other places that serve itâŠlet me know!
It is the most medicinal vegetable on the planet and hereâs
whyâŠ
Okinawa one of the areas in the world that has the most
healthy people living over 100 years and if asked why, one of the answers they
will give you (along with gardening and having a community of relatives and
friends) is eating Bitter Melon (called Goya in Okinawa)! Nice article on
Okinawan food with Bitter Melon recipeâŠ
http://www.saveur.com/okinawa-japan-food-and-hotel-travel-guide
Kills breast cancer cells in the lab and leaves healthy
breast cells alone. Theyâre working on turning it into a pre-chemotherapy drug.
Iâll just eat it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20179194
HIV and Bitter MelonâŠ
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12346831
I have personal experience with this. Someone I knew had
full blown AIDS, took NO conventional treatments but juiced Bitter Melon and it
was the only thing that brought his T Cell count into normal range (he showed
me the before and after lab work reportsâŠvery impressive).
Diabetes and Bitter MelonâŠ
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027280/
It will regulate blood sugar levels and if people are on
diabetes medication they may need to lower or stop it when eating Bitter Melon
(consult and work with doctor).
Bitter Melon vs Head and Neck Cancer
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131118080802.htm
Bitter Melon vs Breast Cancer
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100223131956.htm
http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1896190
Bitter Melon vs Pancreatic Cancer
http://www.cancerdefeated.com/this-bitter-fruit-is-having-sweet-success-against-cancer/2302/
Other health propertiesâŠand they say here that eating a LOT
of Bitter Melon can cause problems. If you keep it to a reasonable portion size
(a cup or less) it shouldnât be a problem. The American way of thinking that if
some is good, a lot MUST be better is wrong most of the timeâŠmoderation is the
way to go the majority of the time (and certainly in this case)âŠ
http://bittermelon.org/heal/healthbenefits
Hereâs a questionâŠdo any of you folks who eat Bitter Melon
in your culture/family have any thoughts about eating it during pregnancy or
breast feeding? The American info says no during pregnancy because of the
possibility of miscarriage, and no during breast feeding. The HIV & Bitter
Melon article talks about midwives in the Philippines giving Bitter Melon to
newborns to stimulate their immune systems. If thatâs the case, it doesnât seem
like breast feeding should be an issue if youâre eating it in moderate amounts.
However, Iâd like to learn more. Since itâs so commonly eaten by folks in
China, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, India and other countries, Iâd like to
know what they do there since theyâve been eating this stuff for centuries
(originating in India and then in China since the 1300s). We have had CSA
members in the past of Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese origins whoâve asked
their mothers and grandmothers who all talked about eating Bitter Melon while
pregnant without incident.
Indonesian website says yes for breastfeeding and Bitter
MelonâŠ
http://prenagen.com/ph/benefits-of-bitter-gourd-for-the-breast-milk-flow
Another site says no but comments of women who are eating it
and feel fineâŠ
http://www.sweetadditions.net/food-drinks/is-bitter-gourd-safe-during-pregnancy
And here it is in an academic paper on a list of foods
RECOMMENDED to eat while breastfeedingâŠ
http://www.academia.edu/4768557/List_of_FOOD_AVOID_-_Pregnancy_and_Feeding
Feel free to get in touch with any questions, recipes, etc.,
and lastly, as I always mention in the CSA emailsâŠany info I send you thatâs
not directly about the functioning of the CSA - take what you like and leave
the rest!
I hope you enjoy this rare treat! đ
