Beautiful gate decoration

    Our cousin took a picture of our gate in the Philippines with this sponge gourd, patola in tagalog, a type of vegetable and it is a vine-like plant, so it is usually along a fence for support just like what you are seeing in the picture. I was laughing when I saw this because it is displayed along the road and I don't know how they manage to go in and out from that gate especially with my father's car if that long vine stretch across the gate entrance.

    I love using sponge gourd to my misua, a very thin variety of salted noodles with sauteed canned sardines. Sometimes I cook this for the family, especially during cold season. In the Philippine, this is considered the budget-friendly meal but healthy because of the sponge gourd.

image source

    In the Philippines, almost everyone in our neighborhood has a vegetable garden in the backyard and well, even on our front yard as you have seen in the first picture. Haha! Sponge gourd loves warm weather about 25-30 degrees Celsius​. It is rich in fiber​ that is good for digestion and​ metabolism and aids constipation. It has also an anti-diabetic property, an insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels by reducing it.

    So next time you are planning to cook some dish, why not try this sponge gourd? You can also substitute meatballs instead of the canned sardines in cooking misua with patola. I am guessing that this week, this sponge gourd (on the first picture) will be on our parents'​ table. Haha!

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