Golden Fruits in the Compost Pit: My Encounter with Wild Bitter Melons

It was early Tuesday morning. The students were at the stage for the flag-raising ceremony. I sneak into the vegetable garden just beside our classroom. This is my routine every day. I used to visit the garden before my classes, the plants give me a light and energized feeling every day.

The tomatoes were starting to bear fruit, the ladies' fingers were ready for harvest, and the leafy greens gave a relaxing feeling that I know only people with an @agriculturalmindset know.

While I was staring into that small compost pit, which had now become a swampy area due to frequent rains, I saw something orange, something like a bright orange fruit under the golden trees that surrounded the compost pit.

I was hesitant to come nearer at first, aside from the place was muddy, it was a bit bushy, which could be where snakes might love to stay, or crocodiles, or frogs, or whatever. But those small orange things made me so curious, so I came nearer.

There they were, ripe and small, wrinkly and round, clinging to a vine that looked like ampalaya/bitter gourd leaves but a bit smaller. At one look, I could say it's bitter gourd, but I haven't seen bitter gourd as small as those fruits.

I inspected carefully each vine, my eyes were running through those tiny leaves, and I found another fruit, but they were still green. I guessed they were still unripe. I carefully detached the green fruits from the vine, slowly, so that I would not detach the yellow flowers it had.

I went to ask a farmer nearby, and he said those are wild ampalaya (wild bitter melons), and he said, these fruits are very healthy, rich in nutrients, though more bitter than the common bitter gourd we have in our gardens.

I researched the wild bitter melons, and I found out that this plant is traditionally used in herbal medicine to help with blood sugar regulation, digestion, and immunity. Wild ampalaya is fascinating both for its botanical uniqueness and cultural value.

When I went home that afternoon, I prepared spicy vinegar with salt, and I had my first try of wild bitter melon. It has a strong bitter taste, crunchy, and I found it delicious. I was grateful I found them, I would say, it's a heavenly gift, since I am suffering from high cholesterol and high sugar levels these days.

I never knew where the seed of wild ampalaya that grows in our garden was coming from. One thing is for sure, I want to cultivate it and want to grow more and eat more of those wild bitter melons.

Thank you for checking out this blog, and I hope this could also inspire others, those who love plants, to conserve species that are now in extinction. Cultivate them if possible, value them, and share them with those who need them, especially for medicinal purposes. Have a great day, everyone, and may God Bless Us All. Thank you.