Wednesday, July 18, 2012

How To Eat A Wild Passion Fruit

If you pay close attention, like Bear is doing, I'll show you how to eat a "Maypop", or Passion Fruit.
This is the native, wild passion fruit by the way ... what else would you expect here at Pure Florida.

First, before we begin ... let me apologize to this fruit. In an earlier post, I gave a less than flattering opinion of their flavor.

That fault was mine, the fruit I tasted back then was not quite ripe.

That was my passionate apology.

These fruits will turn more yellow as they ripen, but this one is actually ready. If I leave them too long, the coons get 'em, so I usually wait as long as I can stand it, and then pick.

The fruit is produced by a crazy, beautiful flower, on a vine that is favored by Gulf Fritillary butterfly larvae.

I post about it here.



To eat a passion fruit, slice it in half with a sharp knife.

The styrofoamy layer just inside the skin is not the part you eat. It's job is to protect the pulp in the center of the fruit.

Each little black seed is surrounded by a capsule of juice.
This is what you eat ... pomegranate style.

The flavor is  ... hmmm ... lemon-limey?

Something like that.

I saved the seeds and plan to start some of these,even though they seem to spread on their own just fine, thank you very much.

If you go to the USDA fact sheet on this plant, it sounds like the plant is a pharmacy in itself.

"The Houma, Cherokee and other Native American tribes used purple passionflower for food, drink, and medicinal purposes. Captain Smith, in 1612, reported that Native Americans in Virginia planted the vines for the fruits. The fruits were eaten either raw or boiled to make syrup. A beverage was made from the fruits by crushing and straining the juice. Sometimes the juice was thickened by mixing it with flour or cornmeal. The young shoots and leaves were eaten, cooked with other greens. The roots were used in an infusion to treat boils, and to "draw out inflammation" of wounds from briers or locusts. Babies were given a tea made from the roots to aid in weaning. The roots were beaten with warm water and used as eardrops to treat earaches. Root infusions were used to treat liver problems. "

I don't know about all that, but I do know the fruit is tasty, the flowers are spectacular, and the vine is a super host plant for certain butterfly species.

AND it's a native.

I have a passion for natives.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have that flower growing in my flower bed and all over the yard if I would let it. If it spreads in Florida like it does here in Ohio, which I figure it does, you won't need the seeds. I did not however know that you could eat the maypops. I love how much I learn from reading your blog! Lori in Marietta Ohio

MamaHen said...

I have these growing ALL over my place, as I have posted about , but I never can get to the fruit before something gets it! The leaves do seriously make a great sleepy tea.
And yes, Jack has told me about going to several jubilees! I would like to see such a thing. When my oldest brother lived in Mobile and Fairhope he told me about seeing one.

Deb said...

Passionflower is a good remedy for anxiety. Not that you appear to have too much of that in your life! But I have been known to take some when those middle of the night thoughts get too overwhelming.

R.Powers said...

Hi Lori,
Yes, it spreads great here too! I kept the seeds to start more as an experiment than a need! Glad you are enjoying PF!

Annie,
Me too! I would really like to see a Jubilee. It sounds like almost every part of this plant has food or medical uses.

Deb,
My roof needs replaced and school starts in a month.
Yes, I have anxiety!
LOL!

Anonymous said...

Im gonna try it I just found out about yauopon holly awesome. By the way. Its a native too

R.Powers said...

Anon,
YUP.I posted about yaupon and the black drink years ago.

cyberrat123 said...

are all passion fruit edible? how do you know which one you have? the one growing here had white in the center like you show but the one I bought at the store is red on the outside and yellow inside,,,

Diwani said...

is maypop or wildpassionfruit a sweet variety? I have red x yellow variety (sweet yellow type) here in the Philippines. Do you want seed exchange?

Anonymous said...

My Maypops here in Bradenton Florida have no seeds just the styrofoam like shell. Does this mean I need another male or female vine to obtain the edible seed parts?

Anonymous said...

What is the jubilee?

Ken said...

so can you eat any wild passion fruit in Florida? I have read es and no some say poisonous and some say delicious. I have a bunch of vines growing on my property with blue flowers and fruit on them, I want to transplant them in my yard

Anonymous said...

As I’m learning - so many Florida natives were told that EVERYTHING here was poisonous during their childhoods. Just an extra precaution from their parents since there is so much to be wary of. But you can eat these!

Unknown said...

The store bought variety is passiflora edulis, the most common passion fruit in the US, it is a key flavor to hawaiian punch, however, the cold hardy variety shown here is passiflora incarnata, a relative hard down to about -25°F it dies back in the winter.

I have a suspision the fruit above however was still not fully ripe, I live in missouri and have located 3 seperate plants, 1 whose fruit never fully seems to ripen, and the fruit taste lemony though slightly less sour, and they smell like rubber before you cut them open. The other two however produce very fregrant fruit smelling tropical with a hint of wintergreen scent at peak ripeness, and they taste like nothing I've ever had.

A mix of pear, concord, vanilla, wintergreen, cranberry, and it's own thing, very good, the fruit will fall off in your hand when they are ripe.

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Anonymous said...

Which part of the plant is good for anxiety? And how is it prepared?

Unknown said...

Can they ripen after picked?

saramcinky said...

No, they have to ripen on the vine. Known as wrinkle fruit for a reason.