Farmer's Market - Bitter Melon

I started my July 4th off at the Mountain View Farmers Market (see reviews on Yelp). My first visit to this Farmers Market was in June, with my Mom, when I had a Lemon Blueberry scone that I've been craving ever since. So, I woke up on the 4th, thinking about that scone, knowing I was headed there that day. I had the usually free fresh fruit samples that the seller's hand out as you walk around (it's the perfect breakfast) but as I finished the loop I realized my scone vendor never appeared. My hope is that some of the usual vendors took the day off, since it was the 4th, but are back next week. My final purchases for this visit were corn, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

I'm not much of a cook, outside of the easy-make items (spaghetti, fajitas, tacos, etc.), so I decided my goal of this trip would be to find and learn about a new fruit and/or vegetable. My hope is that as I learn more about different fruits and veggies, I'll feel comfortable using them in a meal some day :)

The fruit (even though it looks like a veggie) that caught my eye this week was the Bitter Melon. You can see just from the look of it why I was intrigued. When asking the vendor what it was, it took a couple of tries before I understood what he was saying. Luckily, there was a lady close by who repeated that it was Bitter Melon. When I asked how you cook it, she said it was true to its name and could be quite bitter. She said you cut them in half, take out the seeds, chop it up, and suggested sauteing it along with bacon or a some kind of pork product. She also mentioned that it's good for the liver and stimulating digestion. Like I said, I'm not quite ready to hit the kitchen yet, but it was nice to learn something new on such a beautiful day.

To view more pics from my visit to the Mountain View Farmer's Market, click here.