I find this climbing plant to be a very pretty plant, from the leaves to the flowers to the fruit and seeds. The botanical name is Momordica Charantia and in English it is know as bitter gourd, bitter melon, balsam pear or balsam apple. These plants are annuals and from my experience, it lasts about 6 months before the quality of the plant and fruit starts to drop.I am not an avid fan of this fruit-vegetable but it has good therapeutic value that I do try to consume it. So, to to do that, I have to plant it so I can be confident that it is as natural as possible without all those chemical pesticides and fertilisers since I want to eat it for the health benefits. I bought a few packets of seeds and managed to get some plants to grow. The fruits are of different sizes so I do not worry about the sizes. After all, these are not on growth hormones :).
It produces bright yellow flowers with an orange centre. Not all
flowers will produce the fruit, only pollinated ones. So, I find that planting a few of these plants close helps increase the rate of cross-pollination. It is also important to remove the yellowed and old leaves to encourage growth as well as to provide easy access for the insects to the flowers for pollination. A healthy plant will produce an abundance of foliage which often will hide some of the flowers so I also tend to remove the leaves around the flowers.I fertilise every 2 weeks with organic fertiliser and ensure it receives sufficient water, either by rainfall or watering it. We have the blessings of abundant clean water, free or chlorine or other additives and I feel that it makes a difference. As with many vegetables, drainage is important. To control pests, we use organic pesticides such as serai wangi spray - home-made because we have planted it for the main purpose of making our own organic pest control.
I have been disappointed with the results from bought packaged seeds so I decided to produce my own, I allow the fruit to ripen to a bright yellow-orange before I pluck it from the plant. I will then place it in whole on a shelf and wait for it to burst open on its own, which is normally about a day later. The individual seeds are coated with a bright red skin which is peeled off to uncover the light brown seed which an interesting "flowery" edge, a very distinctive form and so far the only seed that I have seen that has a pattern around the edges, The seed should feel firm and not soft indicating that it is mature enough to be planted. Should you buy seeds, test the firmness of the seed, if it is soft, it will not produce plants or produce weak plants. To store these seeds, keep them in a dry and cool area and they can last a few months.In traditional and homeopathic therapy, it is used as a treatment for diabetes. For Malays, it has long been eaten as ulam with sambal belacan. It is also a favourite among "juicers". Further information in natural medicine can be found in this link >> http://naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2012-10/nutrient-profile-bitter-melon-momordica-charantia.
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 79 kJ (19 kcal) |
4.32 g
| |
| Sugars | 1.95 g |
| Dietary fiber | 2 g |
0.18 g
| |
0.84 g
| |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A equiv. |
(1%)
6 μg
(1%)
68 μg
1323 μg
|
| Thiamine (B1) |
(4%)
0.051 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(4%)
0.053 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(2%)
0.28 mg |
(4%)
0.193 mg | |
| Vitamin B6 |
(3%)
0.041 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(13%)
51 μg |
| Vitamin C |
(40%)
33 mg |
| Vitamin E |
(1%)
0.14 mg |
| Vitamin K |
(5%)
4.8 μg |
| Trace metals | |
| Calcium |
(1%)
9 mg |
| Iron |
(3%)
0.38 mg |
| Magnesium |
(5%)
16 mg |
| Manganese |
(4%)
0.086 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(5%)
36 mg |
| Potassium |
(7%)
319 mg |
| Sodium |
(0%)
6 mg |
| Zinc |
(8%)
0.77 mg |
| Other constituents | |
| Water | 93.95 g |
| |
| Percentages are roughly approximated usingUS recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database | |
Updated 17 February, 2015
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