They are very different.

Here are pictures of "Winter Melon" (Benincasa hispida):

Here are pictures of "Bitter Melon" (Momordica charantia) :

Here are recipes for you to browse: Winter Melon Recipes besides soup.

:)

Cut winter melon into chunks. Deep fry till soft. In a wok, fry ginger pieces till fragrant or golden. Add winter melon and flavor with soy sauce (and maybe sugar?) It is the best winter melon dish I have ever had!

Recipe #1 Winter melon with preserved duck egg.

take thin slices of winter melon. You can cut it fancy into a diamond shape or triangle if you like.

Saute in a little oil. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Put it on the side.

Boil salty duck egg and take the yoke only of a salty duck egg -- mash the yoke. Add a little warm water. Mix it with the cooked winter melon.

The egg white part, chop very finely and sprinkle on the top. Then serve. We had this dish last night. Very delicious.

Recipe #2. "Poor man's Hong Shao meat"

Cut squares of winter melon 2" on a side. Score it into 9 pieces (like a tic-tac-toe board) but don't cut all the way through. Brown in vegetable oil.

Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili, sugar, and simmer for a while until tender. Try not to add too much water you don't want the sauce to be watery.

Recipe #3 Winter melon drink

Use a lot of winter melons. Cut into cubes boil with brown sugar, drain the juice and serve it as a cold drink.

Check this out!

I tried the winter melon drink in a can. Didn't taste like anything though:-( Am I missing something a can can't offer??

Really? I'm not having a problem here, anyone else?

I'm of the firm belief that anything made from scratch with fresh ingredients is always better than anything made to keep on a store shelf...

Have you ever made grass jelly from stratch? I've always bought mine in a can. Though my great-grandma used to make it from stratch.. so my mom says.. long lost ancient chinese recipe now, I'm afraid...

Here is some info you may find to be in interest:
"A popular, sweet drink in China and neighboring Asian countries is called "grass jelly." One of the most common plants used to make grass jelly is Mesona chinensis, an herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). The plants are boiled in water containing potassium carbonate. The juice is cooked and then cooled into a gelatinous consistency. This jellylike material is cubed, mixed with water, syrup and flavorings and consumed as a refreshing drink. It is canned and sold in Asian markets as "grass jelly." According to Cornucopia II by S. Facciola (Kampong Publications, 1998), boiled figs (syconia) from the Asian creeping fig (Ficus pumila) are also used for grass jelly. The figs are picked ripe and placed in a porous bag to squeeze out the juice. The juice is cooked and then cooled into a gelatinous consistency called "pai-liang-fen." The jellylike material is cubed, mixed with water, syrup and flavorings and consumed as a refreshing drink. It is canned and sold in Asian markets as "grass jelly" of "ai-yu jelly." "Grass Jelly From Creeping Fig & Mesona (Lamiaceae)

In China, the syconia of creeping figs are picked ripe and placed in a porous bag to squeeze out the juice. The juice is cooked and then cooled into a gelatinous consistency called "pai-liang-fen." This jellylike material is cubed, mixed with water, syrup and flavorings and consumed as a refreshing drink. It is canned and sold in Asian markets as "grass jelly" of "ai-yu jelly." According to Cornucopia II by S. Facciola (Kampong Publications, 1998), boiled plants of Mesona chinensis in the mint family (Lamiaceae) are also made into cubes of grass jelly. In fact, cans of grass jelly often list this species on the labels. "
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph37.htm

http://www.asiafood.org/Drinks_feature.cfm
asian drinks

"Grass Jelly Drink
On street corners throughout Asian cities, you will see stalls dispensing cool, thirst-quenching drinks of different kinds, lined up in tall glass containers rather like home aquariums, their straight edges butted together for best use of space. The drinks vary in colour: pale green (pandan flavoured); yellow (chrysanthemum); milky white (soy milk); and invariably there is one which looks quite sinister - clear, deep brown with strands or cubes of translucent blackish jelly in it. This is a very popular choice, because grass jelly is considered a tonic. It has a slight iodine flavour. The fine dark strands float in a lightly sweetened syrup and somehow it is very refreshing and easy to drink. Grass jelly is sold in cans at Asian supermarkets. "

"Prepared from seaweed and cornstarch, this black jelly tastes and smells faintly of iodine. It is sold in cans at Asian markets. Drain and dice or shred the jelly before adding it to soybean milk or sweet drinks made of simple syrup, coconut milk, crushed ice and a few drops of jasmine water."
http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/vi_terms.html

Mixed Fruits with Grass Jelly
(4 servings)

1/2 cn Lychee fruit with juice
1/2 c Canned mandarin oranges
1 cn Grass jelly

Instructions
Have all ingredients well chilled. Open both ends of grass jelly can; push out gelatin; slice, then cut into 1/2" cubes. Place grass jelly cubes in serving bowl with lychee fruit and mandarin oranges. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

------------------------------------------
Grass Jelly

1 can of Grass Jelly, available in Asian Markets
1/2 cup of water
sugar crystals to taste (any sugar will do)

Drain the jelly.
Cut into cubes and place into a bowl.
Warm water in a saucepan.
Add sugar crystals to taste.
Pour syrup into a bowl and let cool.
Pour cooled syrup over jelly cubes.
Serve with away or chill.

Malaysia "cin cao"/"chin chow"

Violet: I never thought that "grass jelly" came in so many different forms or from different plants, esp. figs! And here I been telling people it's a herbal drink.. Well the mint family is close I guess. lol

The cans I buy never say what kinda plants it's from... it actually says "water, grass", no latin names.. *sigh*

Helen,
Latin names on cans? Can you imagine!? LOL!

that recipe sounds yummilicious. i love tumeric and mustard seeds along with many other spices used in indian cooking (asefetida, kalonji...etal). i will have to try this dish. i've only had winter melon in soup, chinese style. i also know that a filipino friend of mine said that they make it into a dessert. i'll have to ask her the recipe!
thanks again

Wow...you just brough back memories of my mom making grass jelly from probably the plant you mentioned. Wow that was umm over 30 years ago. That image just popped into my head. I think my grandma taught her. I remember them squeezing out the plants. Wierd how things are brought back to memory.

Thanks :)

You made that from scratch? Wow! If it is at all possible for you to document a recipe, you should definitely share it with us!

:)

Mom will be coming out here to visit me in July. I'll ask her then about the Jelly Grass recipe. Yes she will be with me for a wee bit over a month. It's a good time to get all kinds of recipes from her then :) thanks for the suggestion.

Optional: Dry Roasted cumin and Cilantro seeds one teaspoon each

Boil the melon pieces in 2 cup sof water with salt and turmeric. Meanwhile grind the coconut with the peppers, and cumin, cilantro seeds (if using). When the melon is almost cooked, add the paste, boil for 5 more minutes. Now shut off the flame. Let it cool to medium heat. Add the beaten yoghurt in by stirring it into the mixture. Keep stirring lightly until you get a thick liquid consistency.
Now in a separate pan, heat a teaspoon of oil, add the mustard and when it crackles, add the asafoetida and then pour onto the dish (don't let anything burn!). you may garnish with fresh chopped Cilantro leaves or curry leaves if you desire.
Serve over rice with any indian curry as accompaniment.
Tip: If too liquidy, mix a little cornstarch in water and add to the dish and stir over low heat for a few minutes until the dish thickens.

Helen,
If you are into pastry making, the candied melon mention by erinerin can be used to make Chinese pastry filling such as "loa pao bang" and others.

It usually takes two months before they start flowering and they like the temperatures to be between 75-90 degrees. They're definitely one of the longest to mature, usually 5 months, so just be patient.

tailwheel,
Wow, that's a lot of little ones... I'd be interested in knowing if they all mature into larger fruit.

There are plenty of recipes out there. Click here for recipes.

:)

There are many websites were you can upload photos for free and you can have different "photo albums". They have instructions on how to upload, etc.

Let us know when they're posted so we can see them!

I finally found a site to post pictures that others can see without too much difficulty. There are two albums there. The July pictures were taken by a friend that has interest in hydroponics and wants to build a garden like mine. The August pictures were taken yesterday 8/20/03. I harvested one of the winter melons last night and of course, we had some ham and made soup. Deelicious!

I make a syrup of red perilla leaves (dip leaves in boiling water until they turn green--a few seconds only (discard leaves), add a little lemon juice, then simmer the red liquid with sugar to make the syrup), steam diced (large) winter melon just until cooked, then proceed with winter melon and red syrup as with making watermelon pickle (without the spices) and put in hot jars. This produces an unusual chunky dessert conserve good on ice cream, blancmange, custard, etc. Caution: the winter melon must be thoroughly cooked, or it will ferment in the jars.

Don't know if red perilla (Japanese: aka-jiso) is available or grows elsewhere, but it is very vigorous, is cultivated widely and reseeds itself in the wild here throughout the summer. It's flavor is unique. Green perilla (shiso; usually served with sushi or sashimi) is not a substitute. I think other uses for winter melon as a sweet can be created, but have not tried yet.

In India it is candied in two forms, white and yellow (specialties of Agra), as it is in China.

-ming

My mom does it all the time. Cut them up, discard the seeds, and peel them. Then wrapped them up real good or put them in freeze ziplock bags. You can use it whenever you want. After so many months, it still taste fresh!

Now go and buy you a big freezer if you don't already have one ;-)

Here is a Don Gua recipe:

Cube a one inch thick section. Stir fry it with some pinch of salt and garlic. Throw in some chunks of pork and three cups of water. Simmer.

Here is a Ku Gua recipe:

Cut up the melons cross wise so you have rings. Stuff the rings with seasoned pork like dumpling stuffings. Throw them into a pot of hot boiling water until the meat is done.

"Candied (crystallized) fruit has been around since at least the 14th century. Whole fruit or pieces of fruit can be preserved in this manner. Basically the method is simply to place the barely ripe fruit in increasingly stronger solutions of heated sugar syrup, and the syrup gradually replaces the water content of the fruit."

http://www.baking911.com/pantry/fruit_purees2.htm

"Fruit are often candied or crystallised by cooking them in heavy syrup until they become transparent. This is not an easy procedure, since the concentration of the syrup must be carefully controlled. The candying of whole fruits may require successive cooking in ever more concentrated syrups until the required quality is obtained. The syrup must penetrate to the inside of the fruit so that the fruit can be preserved to keep for several weeks at room temperature. In most instances it is easier to purchase commercially glazed fruits when candied fruits are required. Thinner pieces of fruit can however be candied easily. Finely carved or grated fruit makes ideal toppings for desserts or garnishes for many sweet dishes. Certain types of candied fruits also go very well with meat dishes. Candied fruits may also be steeped in liquor for extra flavour.

The procedure involves the following: (e.g. making candied sliced orange rings):

Cut approximately 500 g of citrus fruit in 1-cm slices.
Heat 1 kg of sugar with 1 Litre of water in a shallow pan until dissolved.
Bring the syrup to the boil.
Arrange the fruit loosely on a wire rack that fits into a saucepan.
Attach strings to the rack and lower it into the hot syrup in the saucepan by holding the rack with the strings.
Press a round of greaseproof paper on top of the fruit to immerse the fruit in the syrup.
Bring the syrup slowly to a simmer and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes; do not let it boil.
Take the pan from the heat and allow cooling.
Leave it in the syrup for 24 hours or until it reaches room temperature whilst leaving the fruit undisturbed.
Carefully lift the fruit from the syrup and leave to drain for 30 minutes.
Transfer the fruit to paper towels and leave until dry.
Store in layered greaseproof paper on an airtight container for up to 3 days or until the surface of the fruit is completely dry and hard."

http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:wXbzy8RcBHsJ:www.theta.org.za/downloads/learning_mat/FP37_Fruits.doc+candied+melon+%22sugar+syrup%22+sugar&hl=en&lr=lang_en