And no fruit yet, but I’m also growing Jyunpaku Okinawan White (closest vine in the pic below) which I grew last year and really enjoyed - pure white, very juicy, crunchy and not as bitter as some. It is interesting in that even the vine on that one is almost white.
They’re busy growing up a 7 foot trellis behind a row of tomatoes now, but I’ll soon be adding a horizontal trellis from the top and back over the blueberry row behind them. You can see the net I still have on the blueberries on the right, but that will come off by the end of the week and I’ll build the vertical part.
Hi; This our second year growing them. Brought some seeds from Türkiye. They are so unusual but we have no clue how to taste and prepare them for cooking or salad… Any idea will help! Thanks!
I picked my first 2 bitter melons today - one Ganjyu and one Long White Reishi. I know Ganjyu can get a bit bigger, but I was anxious to start eating them and there are more almost this size on the plants. I expect the LWR might get closer to 18", but since I’ve never grown them I thought I’d harvest the first one smaller and let another one go unti it starts to show a little yellow (ripening) so I can figure out what the max would be.
Long White Reishi is certainly living up to its name, growing some of the longest bitter melons I’ve ever harvested. Taste is very good, not too bitter, and the vines are very productive. So far I haven’t had any start to turn yellow at the tips, so I’m really not sure how long I can let them grow, but I’m already getting overwhelmed with fruit and nobody else in the family will eat them except me. I’m going to have to start giving some away.
I got the first of the Jyunpaku Okinawa White and ate it a few days ago. It was excellent as I had remembered from growing it last year and a beutiful pearly white. I would probably give Ganjyu (a large green type from Japan) the nod for best flavor and texture, although all three of the varieties are great. Since Long White Reishi is the most vigorous, it will probably mostly crowd out the other two by the end of the season since there isn’t that much space on the trellis.
