Beauty and the Beast

 

I grow bitter melons.  And yes, they're bitter.  Quite.  The flowers belie this, being sweetly scented and abuzz with pollinators.

The fruits are fantastically beautiful or ugly, depending on your feelings about warts.  There are many varieties with different shapes and sizes, some pale green, some white, some a lovely jade green.  Heat stress or maturity turns them bright yellow and orange.

They are easy to grow, though the vines need something to climb on.  I use large homemade tomato cages staked with rebar to keep them from blowing over in the wind.  Bitter melons aren't bothered by pests or varmints, which is a huge plus.  Right now in my garden the groundhogs, raccoons and opossums are wreaking havoc on the winter squash and melons, the zucchini and cukes are succumbing to cucumber beetles and squash bugs, and I must cover my greens every night with row cover to foil the rabbits.  But the bitter melon stands tall and untouched.  Maybe I'm a fool for liking something even the varmints won't touch, but I feel smug every time I look at them.

I eat them because I can, which might seem a strange thing to say, but due to food intolerances, I've learned to eat many odd things out of necessity or boredom.  I also actually enjoy eating them.  In fact, they've become a summer staple in my kitchen.  They have a pleasing texture that holds up well in cooked dishes, unlike zucchini which turns mushy if overcooked.  They are colorful, easy to digest and high in nutrients and fiber, particularly soluble fiber which feeds our microbiota.  Bitter melon has twice the calcium of an equal weight of spinach and twice the beta-carotene of broccoli.  I like to simmer chopped bitter melon in a little water or broth with onions and herbs and maybe some peas or spaghetti squash to round out the flavors.

Bitter melon, endive, onions, peas, purple basil, fresh hibiscus blossoms, carrot ginger ferment.

In addition, bitter melons have some impressive medicinal properties.  They're very beneficial for the liver, as most bitter foods are.  They have anti-diabetic properties that help reduce blood sugar levels and regulate insulin, are anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and good for the skin.  I won't go into depth on this topic, but anyone who wants to learn more can easily do so by searching online.

Rarely seen  in grocery stores, bitter melons are a staple in parts of Asia and India. Bitter foods in general are widely appreciated in other cultures.  Italians love their zesty greens like radicchio, arugula, chicory and endive.  In Europe, bitter apertifs and after dinner tonics are popular.  Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine believe that flavors must be balanced for optimal health.

Scientists did a study at Italy's University of Pavia by giving overweight adults a bitters formula before meals.  After two months, the subjects reported reduced appetite and consumption, lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and smaller waistlines. Bitter foods make us feel full more quickly, in part because they affect the hormones that control appetite.  They also stimulate enzyme production which helps with indigestion, heartburn, bloating and stomach upset.

We all want the sweet things in life.  We want ease and comfort, a peaceful environment, happy relationships, good food and plenty of it - sweet, salty, fatty food that pleases our taste buds and gives us that satisfied feeling.  Overindulgence is an easy habit to fall into, and bitter foods can be of great service in preventing this.  If overeating is an issue for you, instead of another plateful of food, have a sip or two of a bitter tonic or tea.  I guarantee your appetite will take a step back and you'll feel more alive and awake.

This dual natured world asks us always to seek balance.  The light must have darkness; creation can't occur without destruction.  Life must have toil and strife so we grow stronger by overcoming our demons.  Beauty and the Beast needed each other to better themselves.  Sweetness is addictive, but becomes cloying in excess.   

A good exercise is to do something you don't like to do every day, something that brings positive results.  It builds the will forces and fosters self confidence and resilience in the face of hardship.  Eat something bitter!  Your body will love you for it, and who knows, you may find beauty in the beast.