�the KarukanManjyuu in summer / the Karukan in winter】
★Satsumaage★
★Kibinago(Silver-stripe round herring)★
★PeanutTofu★
★TonyuOkaraKonnyaku★
★Buta no Kakuni★
★Hanakagomori★
★Chabushi★
★SakurajimaDaikon no Misodsuke★
★Green tea Cookie★
★Akumaki★
★Kakaran dumpling★
★Handmade Awamochi (foxtail millet rice cake)★
★Getanha★
★Jambomochi★
★Green tea Bavarian cream★
★Matcha ice cream★
★MurasakiImo cake★
★RyokuchaAnMitsu★
★ShiratamaZenzai★
★ChayanoRyokuchaNamaKyarameru,
★Kakigoori★
★OyakoDonburi special lunch★
★Nikujyaga special lunch★
★Syogayaki special lunch★
★TonkotsuRamen★
★Chasoba special lunch★
Goya is one of the most famous vegetables used in Okinawan cuisine. It is the key ingredient in goya champuru a signature dish in Okinawa which embodies the very essence of the Okinawan diet. Normally composed of stir fried goya, tofu and eggs, Goya champuru can include a variety of other vegetables and even meat. The dish is well known for its health aspects due to its high vitamin and anti-oxidant content. However, It is also known for its bitter taste so proper preparation is a must when using this vegetable for cooking.
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| Goya Fruit |
My wife and I have been growing goya bitter melon in our backyard garden for several years now here in Wisconsin with varying success. The vegetable requires at least 90 days of hot weather to produce a quality gourd. So with our northern climate having both hot and cool summers we have had mixed results from year to year.
The English names for the plant and its fruit include bitter melon or bitter gourd. In China it is known as pinyin or kugua. The Philippines calls it Ampalaya and in Japan it is called Goya and in India it is known as Karela. It can also be found in South America and the Caribbean where its also known as Balsamino or Saraseed.
Its oval and long, textured green fruits are as crunchy as a cucumber but extremely bitter to the taste buds. They are known for their medicinal properties, the bitter melon is easy to grow and cultivate, even in the backyard.
Step 1 Prepare a garden site that has good rich soil with lots of compost worked into it. Bitter melons can be a host to fungal diseases, so it helps to keep the ground surface dry. Place a strong trellis or support system into the ground that will allow the bitter melon to grow about 6 feet high. Augment the garden soil with compost or dried manure. Add iron suplement to sweeten the soil if you live in an area like us with moderate iron levels in the soil. This will promote that bright green tone in the fruit and leaves of the plants. Bitter melon prefers soil that is rich but drains well. Make sure the location receives six to eight hours of sunlight every day.
Purchase your seeds from a reputable seller. They have been distributed in other countries for centuries but have not been as available in the United States. Thanks to the Internet, bitter melon seeds can now be easily ordered online. I would recommend someone likeKitazawa Seed company which deals in Oriental vegetable seeds.
Harvest the fruits within two weeks after the flowers open. Young fruits ready for harvest are bright green, firm, juicy and crunchy. Fruits become more bitter and spongy as they mature.
Step 3
Germinate the seeds by soaking them in water for 24 to 48 hours or until they swell up. Peel off the outer coating with a sharp paring knife and plant the seed about 3/4 of an inch deep into moist potting soil. Keep the soil most until a green shoot or cotelydon pops through the soil, which should take about five to seven days.
Step 4
Transplant the plant once it has grown at least two real leaves and when the temperature outside has reached an average of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In our area we plant between mothers day and memorial day when the threat of frost has diminished. Do not disturb the soil around the roots when transplanting it, if at all possible. Place the plant into a hole the same size as the dirt ball. Gently pat the plant into the soil. Ideal spacing between plants is around 2 feet apart along a row to allow sunlight to reach the lower branches.
Step 5
Water the bitter melon vine in the mornings until the vines are well established. This will allow the heat of the day to dry the soil after watering. Another technique used in growing gourds and cucumbers is to place straw or hay around the base of the plant. This will help retain moisture in the soil without the vine resting in damp conditions.
Step 6
Train the vine to grow up your support system, using cotton string or plant ties if necessary. The vines will have small grabber shoots that will come out of the vine and grab on so if you mind the plants as they grow training your plants should be easy. Just move your vines without breaking off the grabbers and they will grab on by the end of the day to where you put them. The fruits will grow straight if they are hanging as opposed to laying on the ground. You can prune overreaching or wayward growths on the vines to control the shape of the plant and encourage development of new stems, which will bear more fruits. Typically the growing time for melons is 80 to 90 days, but it may vary for your area and growing conditions.
Step 7
Harvest the fruits within two weeks after the flowers open. Young fruits ready for harvest are bright green, firm, juicy and crunchy. Fruits become more bitter and spongy as they mature.
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| Single Climbing Vine |
Germinate the seeds by soaking them in water for 24 to 48 hours or until they swell up. Peel off the outer coating with a sharp paring knife and plant the seed about 3/4 of an inch deep into moist potting soil. Keep the soil most until a green shoot or cotelydon pops through the soil, which should take about five to seven days.
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| Young Plant After Transplanting |
Transplant the plant once it has grown at least two real leaves and when the temperature outside has reached an average of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In our area we plant between mothers day and memorial day when the threat of frost has diminished. Do not disturb the soil around the roots when transplanting it, if at all possible. Place the plant into a hole the same size as the dirt ball. Gently pat the plant into the soil. Ideal spacing between plants is around 2 feet apart along a row to allow sunlight to reach the lower branches.
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| Our Plants Between Spring Peas |
Water the bitter melon vine in the mornings until the vines are well established. This will allow the heat of the day to dry the soil after watering. Another technique used in growing gourds and cucumbers is to place straw or hay around the base of the plant. This will help retain moisture in the soil without the vine resting in damp conditions.
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| Fruit hanging from Trellis |
Train the vine to grow up your support system, using cotton string or plant ties if necessary. The vines will have small grabber shoots that will come out of the vine and grab on so if you mind the plants as they grow training your plants should be easy. Just move your vines without breaking off the grabbers and they will grab on by the end of the day to where you put them. The fruits will grow straight if they are hanging as opposed to laying on the ground. You can prune overreaching or wayward growths on the vines to control the shape of the plant and encourage development of new stems, which will bear more fruits. Typically the growing time for melons is 80 to 90 days, but it may vary for your area and growing conditions.
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| Trained Vines on the Trellis |
Allow some fruits to over ripen. Once they have turned yellow harvest their seeds for the next crop. This should save you some money the following year.
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| This One Got A Bit Too Ripe |
Here is a little bit about the Health benefits of eating bitter melon.
Bitter Melon helps support healthy blood sugar levels with compounds called charantin and momordicin.
Bitter Melon helps achieve positive sugar regulating effect by suppressing the neural response to sweet taste stimuli.
Compounds present in Bitter Melon, such as vicine, peptides, and polypeptide-p (plant insulin), work together to give Bitter Melon its potency.
Bitter Melon helps maintain a normal level of triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver and blood.
Several clinical trials have shown that bitter melon extract and juice lower blood sugar in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It contains several phytochemicals that appear to act in ways similar to sulfonyurea drugs, without the side effects. If you are taking medication for your blood sugar levels, talk to your doctor before trying the fruit, and keep a close eye on your blood sugar. The easiest place to find bitter melon is an Asian food market. Bitter melon can be taken in whole fruit form or as a momordica extract, tincture, or juice.
Well that is it for today. I will follow up tomorrow with some receipes for cooking Goya Bitter Melon. I hope this has inspired some of you to try it.
Well that is it for today. I will follow up tomorrow with some receipes for cooking Goya Bitter Melon. I hope this has inspired some of you to try it.
