Aired (September 8, 2024): Did you ever dislike this veggie as a child? Discover the world of Bitter Gourd, or “Ampalaya,” and its nutritional benefits with Chef JR Royol!
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00:00Ampalaya is a type of vegetable that we learned to eat because of its unique substance.
00:10Hello, Mommy Asuncion.
00:12We remember when we used to talk to each other,
00:16we used to eat Ampalaya.
00:21Because when we were young,
00:23Vitamins that can be bought over the counter were not popular yet.
00:26During our limited time,
00:28this is what Ms. Asuncion uses as vitamins.
00:34What she does here is,
00:36she will buy Talbos or leaves of Ampalaya,
00:40or sometimes we plant it at home,
00:42she will squeeze it,
00:44and the highest one,
00:46she will give it to us as a spoon.
00:49At present, Central Luzon has the largest production of Ampalaya,
00:54according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
00:56That's why we visited Nueva Ecija
00:59and we met a farmer and YouTuber
01:02who was able to predict a good life from planting Ampalaya.
01:09How often do you harvest Ampalaya?
01:12We harvest Ampalaya every four days.
01:15Four days?
01:16Yes, in between.
01:17Why four days?
01:18So that the fruits will grow.
01:21Because when we harvest it in the morning,
01:23it's a waste.
01:24It's a waste.
01:26It's a waste.
01:27Because when you see Ampalaya,
01:29when it's ready to be harvested,
01:31its buds are already big.
01:33That means,
01:35it should already have buds.
01:37Ah, okay. This one right here.
01:39Yes, its buds.
01:40It's called buds.
01:42It should be longer?
01:44It should be longer.
01:45Like this.
01:47There. Okay.
01:49So, this one is ready to be harvested.
01:50In growing Ampalaya,
01:52is there a usual pest that you encounter?
01:54Yes, there are many.
01:56Like this one?
01:57Yes, just like this one.
01:59It was stung by a fruit fly.
02:01We call it bud.
02:03Once it was stung,
02:05it will leave its buds inside.
02:07That's why it turns yellow.
02:09So, this one.
02:10From the seeds
02:12until the end of the season,
02:14how long does it take to grow?
02:16It usually takes five to six months.
02:18Five to six months.
02:20That's its life cycle?
02:22Yes, that's its life cycle.
02:24What about this one?
02:26Once it's harvested,
02:28it can't grow again?
02:30Once it's harvested,
02:32we only harvest until the 15th.
02:34Ah, 15.
02:3614, 15. Something like that is possible.
02:38And usually,
02:40in one tree,
02:42like this one we can see,
02:44how many pieces of fruit
02:46can it produce
02:48in my estimation,
02:50it can produce up to 50.
02:5250 pieces?
02:54More or less.
02:56More or less than 50.
02:58This one is grafted.
03:00It means that its main tree
03:02is not the fruit fly.
03:04It's the bud.
03:06That's why it's different.
03:08The fruit fly is just stung.
03:10Why?
03:12Because here in our area,
03:14the grafted fruit fly has grown
03:15and it's healthy.
03:17So that's the new technique.
03:19That's right.
03:21When you buy a fruit fly tree,
03:23sometimes you'll see flowers.
03:25Yes.
03:27Is it advisable to let those flowers
03:29and fruits grow?
03:31Yes, you can.
03:33You can check the fruit fly
03:35and if it's already grown,
03:37you can put it on a tray.
03:39You'll see that its roots
03:41need to be white.
03:43It means that the fruit fly
03:45has already grown.