[tarpalsfan]

Originally Posted by Zeedman

In other words, the only flavor was what you added to them?

Haven't figured out how to multi-quote here...

"I'm growing bitter melon this year. I wanted to get something orangey ripe instead of green."

They should only be eaten when green. The red pulp around the ripe seeds is edible though (but not the seeds themselves). Super productive here, I give away buckets full to Filipino friends. Really good bee plant too, and fragrant when in bloom.

The Italian edible gourd Cucuzzi is good, and is edible until fairly large (at which point they might become that "baseball bat squash"). The younger 'squash' (1-2" wide) can be peeled & cooked like zucchini; medium-large squash can be peeled & cored. Once the gourds stop growing, they begin to get fibrous. Night pollinated, so sometimes fruit set can be iffy... but if pollinators are present, very productive.

I did not always peel the edible snake gourd, when I did I used a vegetable peeler. It was easy. Also, while I did cook some of the gourd, I also ate more than a little raw.
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I grew bitter melon last season, I loved the delicate , little yellow flowers.
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