My first home grown bitter gourd! Does this look healthy or a bit odd to you all?

by tsonali

6 Comments

  1. Yours is karela, a variety of bitter melon popular in Indian cooking. I am more familiar with the Chinese bitter melon which is a more oblong shape with less bumpiness. I *think* it’s also less bitter than karela (someone who has eaten both, please correct me if I’m wrong).

  2. benitomuscleweenie

    That looks awesome. If they’re too bitter you can salt them for 15 minutes then wash the salt off.

  3. Former-Light4284

    The melon itself looks a bit like it needs more watering, but it looks young also. Needs time on the vine. If you let it really ripen it changes color to light yellow and then brownish red if I remember correctly.
    You can save and dry the leaves and use them as a very powerful laxative.

  4. catsgardening

    This is Indian bitter melon which is a lot more alien looking than the Chinese variety. I heard it’s a bit more bitter as well but the two are generally interchangeable.

  5. Global_Set1933

    This is looking good. As many have pointed out, it’s the indian variety. Observe for a few days if it develops more.
    If you want more seeds of this variety, to plant, you can let this ripen and dry out on the vine itself. Once completely dry, you can reuse the seeds. It will open up by itself, once it is overripe.

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