I am eating a vegetable and I dont know what it is

[unknownjulie]

I usually only buy food on sale or marked down. This was a package of some kind of green vegetable that looked a lot like cucumbers, but tastes like very bitter celery. It was .81 for 6 of them. What are these and what do you cook them in? thanks.

[Carey]

If the inside is more dry, and the outside a little to a lot more bumpy, it sounds like a bitter melon...but hard to say with the little bit of info you give:
page 5:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/downloa...Jan_08.pdf

[bananahead]

bitter melon is poisonous if ripe (orange color) people eat them green.... so that would be my guess too
aloha

******************************************************************
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[unknownjulie]

Hey, thanks for the article. It was very interesting. I am indeed consuming bitter melon! I put it with some chili peppers but that only remotely disguised the taste. Now, I understand why they were so inexpensive! Evidently, I shall be exceedingly healthy after eating all of these.

[Carey]

I often add one or 2 of the local (much smaller - grows like a weed here) diced bitter melons to stir fry, soups & stews, but like the Hawaii chili pepper, a very little goes a long way....

Most of our neighbors also eat the leaves, which is like a bitter cooked spinach - and very nutritious. I eat it with them, but have not done much with the leaves at home... and you can also make a tea of it...probably would also be good muddles into mixed drink that has bitters in the recipe!

Probably the leaves would be great in a stir fry, soups & stews, but I normally use Moringa...so still adding the healthy benefits, with a little less bitter

[Rob Tucker]

I have to admit, the title of this topic is one of the more interesting I've seen over the years.

Assume the best and ask questions.

Punaweb moderator

[Mendo]

Bitter melon is very popular in Filipino food and other Pacific regions. I think the "bitter" not only repels bugs that would eat it otherwise, but is a potent phytonutrient.
And I agree with Rob, nice subject!

[unknownjulie]

I will have to plant some of these, since I can only grow Taro in my garden- due to slugs and bugs. Maybe these bitter melons will survive and thrive. I thought "bitter melons" were melons. I did not know they looked like cucumbers. About to eat another one... Wish me luck. I will try it raw with salt. You almost need some kind of "chaser" with these vegetables. Talk about strong.

[dayna]

UKJ, I might try to grow them too. The only thing I've been able to grow so far is a beautiful slender eggplant plant. It produces lots of eggplants. Too bad I don't actually like eggplant.

I wonder if livestock likes these bitter melons? I grow more food for my livestock than myself!

Dayna

http://www.FarmingAloha.com
www.E-Z-Caps.com

[unknownjulie]

It was edible dipped in salt. Give it a try! I can't imagine an animal would eat these, but you never know.