Learn how to make soup with in-season bitter melon

9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. Chef Joey Ward of Gunshow. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com

10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. Chef Jenn Robbins. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com

4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24. Chef Paola Villafane demonstrates dishes using market produce. Decatur Farmers Decatur, Atlanta. http://cfmatl.org/decatur/

FOR SALE

Just appearing at local markets: Asian pears, microgreens, pie pumpkins, squash blossoms

Vegetables, fruit and nuts: arugula, Asian greens, beets, blueberries, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, corn, cornmeal, cucumbers, eggplant, elephant garlic, fennel, field peas, figs, garlic, grits,herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, Malabar spinach, melons, mushrooms, noodle beans, okra, onions, peaches, pecans, peppers, pole and snap beans, polenta, potatoes, radishes, spaghetti squash, summer squash, tomatoes, winter squash

— From local reports

Michael Joseph, who is Jamaican, farms a half-acre in Lithonia and sells his produce under the banner of “M. J. Vegetables.” He built his business selling his vegetables to area Jamaican restaurants and markets and then began selling directly to the public when he became one of the original vendors at the Saturday morning Snellville Farmers Market. Since 2010, customers have been coming to see him at the Snellville market, seeking out his vegetables with their Caribbean roots.

Bitter melon is one of the mainstays of his summer harvest. He grew up eating bitter melon and says it’s the bitter that serves him as a tonic. “I boil the leaves and make a bitter tea. That’s my medicine. And I tell my customers they should look at its medicinal properties. ”

Many of his customers tell him they juice the bitter melon, but at home, he cooks it like many other vegetables. He cuts it in half lengthwise and removes the seeds and white pith, then slices the melon into half moons and sautes them in corn or olive oil with some green onion, celery, garlic, celery and fresh peppers. He recalls his mother filling the squash with a bread stuffing, tying the squash closed with a string and then baking them. It may be because he’s been eating this vegetable since childhood that he says, “I don’t find it very bitter at all.”

The deer around Joseph’s farm would beg to differ. Joseph plants his bitter melon on the fence surrounding his garden and the deer take one nibble and then stay away. So he gets to keep his harvest with the use of this all-natural deer repellent. He has bitter melon for sale at the Snellville market now and should have it available up until frost kills the vines.

Tom Mara Yad Sai (Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup)

Chef Doug Turbush, owner of Seed Kitchen & Bar, Stem Wine Bar and Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar shared a recipe that’s a family favorite. “I spent a year in Thailand, and my wife is Thai so we travel back to see family,” Turbush said. “This is her mother’s recipe. I acquire a lot of my knowledge from her. She lives with us, so she is a constant source of inspiration.”

He and his mother-in-law, offer four tips for cutting the bitterness in bitter melon.

• Choose lighter colored melons.

• When removing the seeds, be sure to remove all white pith as well.

• Soak the bitter melon in salted water, then rinse well.

• Do not open the pot while simmering the soup.

If you don’t find bitter melon at your local farmers market, it, along with everything else needed for this recipe, are available at the Buford Highway Farmers Market. The preserved cabbage and white soy sauce are found on the Chinese aisle.

2 bitter melons (about 1 pound)

Salt

20 white peppercorns

7 cloves garlic, divided

6 cilantro stems, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

14 ounces ground pork

7 1/2 tablespoons Thai white soy sauce, divided

3 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce, divided

6 1/2 cups water

1/2 pound pork bones

1 tablespoon preserved cabbage

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Freshly steamed jasmine rice, for serving

To prepare the bitter melon: Have a large bowl of salted water standing by. Remove both ends of the melon and cut melon into 2-inch long pieces. Use a small spoon to scoop out the center, removing all seeds and white pith. Soak melon in salted water for one hour.

While melon is soaking, make stuffing: with a mortar and pestle, crush peppercorns. Add 4 garlic cloves and cilantro stems and grind into a smooth paste. In a large bowl, combine ground pork with peppercorn mixture. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons white soy sauce and 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce and knead as if making bread dough for 4 to 5 minutes. This will soften the texture of the pork when cooked.

Drain the melon slices and rinse well. Fill with pork stuffing. Reserve any leftover stuffing. This will be formed into dumplings and added to the soup.

Make stock: In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add pork bones, remaining 6 tablespoons Thai white soy sauce, remaining 3 garlic cloves, remaining 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, preserved cabbage, salt and sugar. Form leftover stuffing into 1-inch egg-shaped dumplings and add to stock. Simmer 5 minutes. Bring stock to a boil and add stuffed bitter melon sections. Immediately cover saucepan and reduce heat so mixture is just simmering. Cook for 30 minutes and do not uncover pot. When ready to serve, serve stuffed melon over jasmine rice and cover with stock. Serves: 6

Per serving: 209 calories (percent of calories from fat, 61), 13 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 14 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 48 milligrams cholesterol, 1,930 milligrams sodium.