Why can melon be bitter?

Possible reasons

When we buy a small round local melon or a long Central Asian melon with a breathtaking aroma, we expect a feast of sweet taste in our mouth. If instead we feel bitterness, then something is wrong with that melon.

Most often, the reason is that the fetus could have been infected with fungal infections, after which an unpleasant taste appears in the mouth. The increased nitrate content will also not make the pulp sweeter. To avoid such troubles, you need to carefully consider the fruits when buying and do not take those with damaged skin. Remember that cracks are an open road for infections and bacteria, and the bitter taste in the mouth helps us stop in time.

But "bitter melon" is a completely different plant, it is also called Indian cucumber or Chinese melon. This very beautiful liana from the pumpkin family is represented by 20 species known today, among which there are annuals and perennials. But most often two of them are cultivated: Momordica Charantia (from the Latin name) and Cochinchin.

They came to us from the Indian tropics, the Chinese south and the Caribbean, where their wild brethren grow. Despite its southern origin, "bitter melon" has taken root in our summer cottages and household plots. Some were captivated by the beauty of the plant, especially bright exotic fruits, others liked the unusual dishes made from them, and still others pin their hopes on amazing medicinal properties.

Thin shoots grow up to 4 meters long and are strong enough to hold large, carved, bright green leaves. Yellow flowers bloom in turn - first for men with a pleasant sweetish scent, then for women. Almost immediately after pollination, ovaries are formed, large green fruits grow, similar to warty cucumbers, as they mature, they acquire a yellow-orange color.

Summer residents appreciate Momordica for its decorativeness: any fence can be decorated if you put a vine with large beautifully outlined leaves of a rich green color over it, with fruits up to 25 cm long, which, when ripe, turn from green to bright orange. Interestingly, until the fruits ripen, the branches are covered with stinging hairs, which for some reason completely disappear after the fruits ripen. Ripe fruits open, the skin with a thin layer of pulp is divided into three parts, which curl upward, become like huge bright three-lobed flowers. Up to 30 seeds are poured out of each fruit, covered with a dark red dense skin with pulp (like large pomegranate grains), after biting which, bitterness is felt in the mouth.

This plant is very beautiful and strikes with its tropical brightness in the midst of our discreet nature. In this culture, everything is beautiful and unusual for our eyes, even the seeds. Oddly enough, it is very easy to grow it. It feels great not only in greenhouses, but also in the open air, you can settle it on the balcony and even on the windowsill.True, there is one caveat - it is not always possible to get ripe fruits in a short summer, which is why many grow it through seedlings.

The chemical composition of bitter melon

"Bitter melon" is able to amaze not only with its spectacular appearance, but also with its changing taste. And the chemical composition of the fruits will plug the most useful and nutritious vegetables in our garden. Momordica contains:

• there are more proteins, carbohydrates, dietary fiber and sugars than eggplant and bell peppers;
• more beta-carotene than broccoli;
• twice as much calcium as the notorious spinach;
• more potassium than banana.

In addition, bitter melon still contains a lot of iron, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus, folic acid, which the bone marrow needs so much. Vitamins are selected better than in any multivitamin complex: groups B - for the nervous system, E - against aging, C and F - for strength and vigor. And all this can be obtained from one plant! Only now it is not always pleasant to eat it because of the bitterness. Moreover, the more ripe the fruit, the more its pulp tastes bitter in the mouth.

Unripe fruits are crispy and juicy, like green cucumbers or bell peppers. The seeds are harvested from them before cooking. The pulp of unripe fruits is eaten raw, canned, boiled and fried. They use recipes from Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Vietnamese cuisines. It is interesting and pleasant to eat momordica with yogurt, meat or potatoes, to include it in vegetable stews. For us, these are unusual exotic dishes. This is why it can be interesting to try them. For example, Japan's Okinawan cuisine offers delicious treats that melt in your mouth.

Ripe momordica leaves behind a very bitter taste, so traditional medicine uses it more often than cooking.

The use of fruits and seeds, due to their amazing chemical composition, has a healing effect on the entire body. They help cleanse and strengthen blood vessels, stimulate the work of the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, strengthen the immune system and the body's resistance to infectious diseases.

Many saw in this plant a panacea for all diseases, which cannot but alert. It is known that it can cause poisoning in children, worsen the condition of patients with ulcers of the digestive system. Long-term use of Momordica by Tibetan, Chinese or Japanese traditional medicine should not contribute to its uncontrolled use in our reality - everything must be approached rationally and carefully.

Proper Melon Care

Chinese melon is not difficult to grow in temperate climates. It is propagated by seeds and cuttings.

Seeds are often used to grow annuals through seedlings. The darkest ones are selected from them, disinfected with potassium permanganate, after which they are placed on a wet napkin greased with honey, and left near the central heating battery. After 2 weeks, the germinated seeds are planted in peat cups. The leafy soil is mixed with humus, heated for disinfection, the seeds are slightly pressed into it with a rib downwards, and covered with heated sand from above. Crops create a greenhouse effect with a temperature of at least +20 degrees and high humidity. After a couple of weeks, the cups with sprouted seedlings can be opened. Then it is watered, fed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, hardened, and at the end of May it is planted outside.

The plant needs to pick up a dry, bright place with light nutritious soil, prepare supports for the vine. As it grows, the plant is thinned out so that the leaves and new shoots do not shade each other, otherwise this will negatively affect the harvest.

When working with a plant, hands must be protected, otherwise its stinging hairs leave burns after contact.

This tropical beauty loves moisture, but does not tolerate stagnant water at the roots. In the middle of a hot summer, it is watered daily, preferably in the evening, and in the morning it is worth slightly loosen the soil. Pour it in as it is washed out.The liana is fed with complex mineral fertilizers after 3 weeks; a liquid solution of a mixture of cow manure with chicken droppings can be used.

Among the diseases, one should beware of gray rot, bacteriosis, powdery mildew. Can pester aphids. If such troubles happen, colloidal sulfur gives a good effect, it is sprayed with the affected plants, diluting 40 g in 10 liters of water. Plants are also powdered with wood ash.

For food, the fruits are harvested about 10 days after the formation of the ovary - they have already grown, but not yet ripe, the skin has turned yellow, but has not yet turned orange. If you wait a couple more days, the fruit will become very bitter, and eating it will be accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the mouth.

Momordica is not difficult to grow. Caring for her can be fun. She will decorate the summer cottage and even improve health. But before eating this exotic plant for food, you should study the issue very carefully and try only a small portion. It is undesirable to give it to children.

Video "Growing Momordica"

This video introduces Momordica Charantia and how it is cultivated in the garden.