Where is bitter melon from

Bitter melon is picked by hand and requires close attention during harvest time. Because the fruit develops rapidly, it must be harvested frequently, usually every 2 to 3 days. Young fruit should be picked when firm and light green in color, preferably during a cooler part of the day.

When the fruit is harvested at maturity, it turns from green to orange. If left on the vine too long, it will grow overly large and excessively bitter; eventually, the gourd will become spongy, split open, and begin to drop seeds. In these conditions, shelf life can be extended by 2 to 3 weeks. Because bitter melon is highly perishable, it should be sold immediately. It should be kept away from other fruits that produce ethylene such as bananas, apples, and pineapples, as this will cause over-ripening.

The flies can be managed through field sanitation, protein baits, traps, insecticides, and growing resistant varieties. The fruit is also susceptible to other pests, including thrips, beetles, cutworms, aphids, bollworm and mites. Like other members of the Cucurbitaceae family, bitter melon is vulnerable to diseases such as Cercospora leaf spot, downy mildew, powdery mildew, bacterial wilt, mosaic virus, root knot nematode and fungal infections. Most of these diseases can be prevented with the use of fungicide sprays, particularly during extended wet periods.

Bitter Melon Terminal Market Pricing: 30 lb. Carton, Medium-Large. View current Know Your Commodity Guide. Focus On Fresh. Fan, J. Effects of recombinant MAP30 on cell proliferation and apoptosis of human colorectal carcinoma LoVo cells. Fang, E. RNase MC2: a new Momordica charantia ribonuclease that induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells associated with activation of MAPKs and induction of caspase pathways. Apoptosis 17, — The MAP30 protein from bitter gourd Momordica charantia seeds promotes apoptosis in liver cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

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Cancer Res. Rios, J. Instead of being round and sweet-fleshed, bitter melon — also known as bitter squash, balsam-pear, karela and goya in various parts of the world — resembles a cucumber though flavor-wise you would never compare them.

For starters, bitter melon proves as sharply flavored as you might think, and with rough, bumpy skin. After all, folks have been cooking with it for hundreds of years, and with good reason. And as with many not-so-good-tasting foods, bitter melon was touted for its medicinal properties long before it became an ingredient used for its flavor.

You can usually find this fruit at Asian markets all season long. But if you choose to grow it at home, you will want to harvest it at the end of summer or early in the fall, when temperatures are high and humidity peaks. Each oblong fruit grows to about 10 inches avoid buying any that are bigger than that. You can tell the age of the fruit by the color of the skin.

Normally, cooks work with firmer, unripened fruits. A few variations to keep in mind: Chinese bitter melons look most like a cucumber, albeit pockmarked.