Hi, I'm looking at the remains of an extensive garden of bittermelon
vines. Before I rip up the plants and bed the garden down for the
winter, it seems like a logical thing to try out the bittermelon greens
as a vegetable... I know they're eaten and I've heard they're often
sold in farmers' markets on the west coast, but I don't know any
details and have no recipes to try out.

The part which looks like a good bet is the growing tips of the vines -
ie, the new baby leaves and the twisty fronds at the very end of each
vine.

Are there any tricks to preparing these as a vegetable? Which parts of
the vine to eat / not eat, and are there additional preparation steps
(such as salting or soaking) which should be done before cooking?

Finally, has anyone a good recipe (or any recipe at all) for
bittermelon greens?

Best regards and thanks for any help.

krnntp