[DC Sunshine]

Orange Passionfruit - my vine has gone nuts! Waiting for my normally normal passionfruit to turn nice and crinkly and dark...they've gone from unripe smooth and green to a soft feeling bright ORANGE!!! Anyone know whats happened? Never seen it before in my life

[KYHeirloomer]

Which of the passionfruits are you growing?

P. incarnata normally does turn orange. I fact, around here they call them wild apricots, because that's what the fruits resemble.

[DC Sunshine]

I don't know which type it is, I'm no expert and we inherited it when we moved into the house. It does look just like an apricot (just shaped differently). Are they ripe to use once they are a ripe apricot colour and feel soft to the touch? Normally in previous year they didn't turn orange - the vine is now glowing with these beautiful looking fruit. In previous years we ate them once they turned dark and crinkly and they were delicious.

[KYHeirloomer]

I don't know when the fruit is ripe, as I've never used it. I use P. incarnata as a medicinal herb. And, of course, enjoy the gorgeous flowers.

Let me make some inquiries and see what I can find out.

[mudbug]

DC Sunshine,
Can you provide photos?



KYHeirloomer,
I think it depends on variety and preferred taste and texture depending on where you are in the world.

If you've never had passionfruit dessert or juice, I highly recommend you pick some up at your local grocery store. It's become much more common to find juice near the orange juice. Or check out health food stores or organic groceries. It is divine.

[KYHeirloomer]

There are at least five species of passionflower, Mudbug, of which Passiflora incarnata is the standard for medicinal purposes. It's also the most hardy, and will winter over in USDA Zone 6.

I have eaten passionflower in various forms, but not from my own vines. My vines rarely bear fruit because I harvest the flowers. Thus, I don't know when the fruits are ripe.

[KYHeirloomer]

OK, I've done a little research on this. Here's a quick summary:

Although there are five speices commonly found in the United States, there actually are something like 400 species worldwide. P. incarnata differs from the rest in that it is a deciduous vine that dies back from frost.

There are three species commonly used for food: Passiflora edulis Sims (purple passion fruit); P. edulis f. flavicarpa Deg. (yellow passion fruit); P. quadrangularis L. (giant granadilla). The purple has, apprently, been cultivated in Australia for a long time, and that's probably the one DC Sunshine has. P. edulis is the one usually found in markets.

According to the University of Florida Extension, here's how to determine ripeness:

Developing passion fruit remains green until fully mature, then colors rapidly within a few days. Both yellow and purple fruits drop to the ground when ripe. The fruit should not be harvested until it drops, because fruit picked from the vine has an unripe "woody" taste. In some regions, the soil beneath the vines is kept weed free and the newly fallen fruit is collected once or twice a week for market. In Florida, the fall crop is easily collected from the ground twice a week where raccoons and other animal pests are not abundant. Summer fruit is better collected daily because of higher temperatures and the danger of sun-scalding.
Both purple and yellow passion fruits begin to lose moisture as soon as they fall and quickly become quite wrinkled if held under hot, dry conditions. Juice in these fruits is wholesome, but they are unsightly and thus unmarketable. Clean fruit can be stored in polyethylene bags at 10°C (50°F) for as long as 3 weeks without loss.

[mudbug]

Excellent.

If you do harvest the fruit, don't be afraid of the seeds. They are much like pomegranate and papaya seeds in that they are perfectly edible and all add crunch and a peppery flavor to your culinary endeavors.

[DC Sunshine]

Thanks for the info everyone. Will try and put some pics of fruit up in next day or so. They look like tear shaped apricots, vey soft, thin skinned, with bright red seeds inside. Haven't had any drop from the vine yet, they are going a little darker as time goes on. But I do agree the flowers are beautiful