[tarpalsfan]

Originally Posted by TessSR

If they are fingernail soft, you don't have to skin the opo squash. Some gourd skin tends to get toughter when cooked. I don't what kind, but I had one before that about half was just wasted after cooking as my kids don't want the tough skin. The opo squash skin is so tender, you don't even see or feel the skin when cooked.

It depends on what kind of bitter melon you are growing. There are some very prolific variety that you will only need 2-3 to grow to harvest a lot. If you use that much bittermelon, I would say plant several more.

I hardly cooked bittermelon. I pickle it with garlic, shalot, vinegar and black pepper. I hardly use salt with it. I read that the salt is what induce the bitter taste. So if must use a salt, use at the end of cooking. But you said you always cook with it, so you're a pro in cooking it

I'm sorry, I'm new here and still don't know how to navigate post, reply and quote.

I grew open pollinated Green Skin bitter-melon. I grew five plants that I started from seed in an old cast iron bathtub that I turned into a planter. I tied some jute cord to some bamboo sticks and to a near by Oak Tree branch. They grew like crazy. Flowered and made plenty of Bitter-Melon. I don't think my husband thought that was a blessing! He isn't as crazy about it as I am.
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No pro here. I don't grow it every year. My family isn't crazy about it. I cook it was tomatoes, onions, and garlic-I like it raw.
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I used to grow Oodam's Devils Claw. The pods are huge and awesome. (invasive if you don't keep the seedlings under control) I ate one young pod raw. It was even more bitter than cooked bitter melon.
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I want to try your Biter-melon recipe. It sounds great.
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I don't know why more people don't try Opo. It is really wonderful. I still have to watch the seed leaf baby plants real close, or the squash bugs or cucumber beetles will get them-but once they start running, I don't think the bugs can stop them

WOW! That is a great harvest of biter-melon! Fantastic photo-thanks for sharing!