It's here finally! My very own 'mmmmm!' moment.The first passionfruits from my vine have ripened and I just had to share them with you.
Slice them in half and you'll see the most eye-catching combination of red, white and gold. I have to admit that the red and white looked so pretty that I was a bit reluctant to spoil that look.
For about 2 minutes !
Then I grabbed a spoon and got busy scooping up all that juicy, golden goodness. You just can't begin to imagine the flavour if you've never eaten passionfruit before.Juicy, fragrant, sweet, tart, fruity flavours pop on your tastebuds and swirl around in a heady melange of sensory surprises. Summery fragrances seem to weave around your brain until you can't think of anything else.
There's so little of it, do you moan? But with so much concentrated juicy, sweet flavour who needs a watermelon-ful?
Each little golden smidgen is like a flavour-bomb bursting in your mouth and inundating you with flavours and fragrances till you're replete with the magic of it all.
When I was done indulging myself, I sat there wondering whether I should've waited and concocted some fancy dessert with it instead. You know the answer, right?
Naaah! Maybe another time.
Unless the passionfruit magic overpowers me again and forces me to stretch out for the nearest spoon instead.
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After reading this description I have to go search and try it once for myself.
ReplyDeleteOoh! I can almost taste it. If I had a longer spoon maybe?
ReplyDeleteYour words and photos really did this glorious fruit justice.
We can grow a hardy variety of passion fruit here called a "May pop." Otherwise, they are house plants.
ReplyDeleteI have never eaten one...but the way people talk about them and durans, makes me want to try.
Instead, I'll have to settle for a Pawpaw (aka Michigan banana) as the closest to your exotic fruits.
Gorgeous pictures once again. Hope things settle down so you can post more. :)
They looks delish!
ReplyDeleteSunita,
ReplyDeleteNever had a fresh passion fruit before, it looks yummy! Just learned of a tropical fruit that is very edible in landscapes here, it is called Jelly Palm, quite good in limited numbers.
Oh you must, Mridula! It is definitely one of those must-taste flavours. And I hope you can get one of the red passion-fruits. They're more tasty than the yellow ones (in my opinion).
ReplyDeleteOr maybe if you can plan a trip to tropical places, Stephanie ;D
Ah! the joys of exotic fruit! Lisa, believe me, I'm just as curious about raspberries and blackberries.
ReplyDeleteThe pawpaw sounds interesting! Unless its the good ol' papaya in another avtar!
Yeah, I hope I can get down to posting more often too but we're stretched kind of thin right now. My helper is down with chikungunya so its a bit worrying for us.
I do not like the tanginess. Mine will go to the mother in law, a fan....
ReplyDeleteAaron, you must be getting a lot of these in Malaysia. Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, ? !And they taste it too.
They definitely are, Randy! And definitely popular with the butterflies too.
Jelly Palm? I must look that one up. Maybe I already know it by another name.
You are making my mouth water with that passion fruit. The smell is sooo intoxicating. I prefer to make juice to make it last longer. BTW what in the world is chikungunya???
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing fruit!!! They don't look to be delicious, but when you eat them!!!! Wow! What a flavor:) The taste is way much better than the appearance. My sister gave me this look like...I don't want to eat this....but she did and it became her favorite fruit in Peru:)
ReplyDeleteMmmm that did look yummy, but I cast my vote for the yellow panama passionfruit that I grow here in Australia- so sweet, and huge too! the best way in my opinion is to fill the centre of a pawpaw with passionfruit pulp - tropical heaven!
ReplyDeleteNope...Pawpaw is decidedly NOT papaya.. :) They have seeds, but they are quite large and not like papaya at all. They describe the fruit as being banana custardy, but I think that's a far stretch. Sort of tart/sweet. Raspberries and blackberries are bearing now, although I don't have any in my garden.
ReplyDeletelol! Antigonum Cajan, you've got me envying your ma-in-law! I personally like a blend of flavours. Even with mangoes, I prefer the ones which have touch of tartness to play up the sweetness rather than the ones which are just sweet through and through.
ReplyDeleteHelen, do you get a lot of fruit from your passionfruit vine? Maybe I'll try a juice the next time ... maybe ;D
Chikungunya is a horrible mosquito-transmitted illness that causes fever and joint-aches, etc. Mumbai is reeling under a whole lot of mosquito-transmitted diseases of late. The non-stop monsoon season is one of the main causes I think. Normally we get rains for days on end and then it is clear for a few days. This year it has been almost unending rain, everyday since June! So there's no time for the land to dry up a bit. Mossie heaven!:P
Absolutely, Rohrerbot! The flavour has a way of getting under your skin, doesn't it?
ReplyDeletePeru! Please tell me more ... what are the other fruits that you ate there?
Africanaussie, I grow the yellow ones too. I wonder whether there's any difference in the ones we're growing because the yellow passionfruit growing in my garden isnot very sweet at all. In fact, it is much more tart than the red.
ReplyDeleteYour pawpaw filled with passionfruit sounds so good!
Lisa, I think you've started me off ona quest for pawpaws. I wonder whether the seeds are available here. Doubtful, I think. Banana custardy sounds a bit like our custard-apple.
Oh Sunita, I love the fragrance of passion fruits! My uncle who grows them just sent us some fruits. I am planning to make a pie with canned peaces this afternoon. My nieces and nephews will certainly learn to love this fruit after tasting the pie.
ReplyDeleteJ.C., I hope you're going to post the recipe. Please? It sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteOh Sunita.. it just sounds so beautiful and luxurious. You describe it so well... I tasted it. Wow i want passionfruit right now.
ReplyDeleteHi Sunita, I love Passionfruit...you have described the taste sensation perfectly. It is truly a fantastic fruit.
ReplyDeleteHi C.S.! Great seeing you here :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, the passionfruit has to be one of the most sinfully decadent fruits ever. I've become really impatient since I tasted the first one. I just can't wait for more to ripen.
Hi Trudi. You're so right, it is fantastic! And it looks great in the garden too.
ReplyDeleteIt's not often that I enjoy passion fruit but when I do, it's just so scrumptious:) Lovely pis
ReplyDeleteHi Sunita, I've just discovered your blog. It looks very interesting. I have planted passion fruit recently and here you are enjoying the fruits of your labour already. Did you plant it from seed. How long did it take to bear fruits?
ReplyDeletenever tasted the fruit myself, but the description and the photos make me want to try
ReplyDeleteLovely post Sunita! Your words make me want to go find a passion fruit NOW!!! have never eaten one :(
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love passion fruits! They are so hard to find around here, but absolutely worth the effort. :)
ReplyDeleteHello dear Sunita! I see your garden is producing some beautiful things...as always!
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm...passionfruit! It's one of my favourite foods. Absolutely delectable!
I haven't tasted one in such a long time....since my last trip to Australia to be precise. The red coloured ones are new to me. I've only seen and eaten the dark purple fruits.
A dear friend used to make what she called Elliott's Ambrosia (her last name was Elliott) - sliced bananas, passionfruits and chopped or mini mashmallows mixed with whipped cream. I think she squeezed lemon juice over the bananas before adding the rest of the ingredients. Oh my....such a wonderful mixture of flavours!
My mouth is watering :)
Thanks for the memories.... :)
Hmmm, something's rotten in the state of Bloggerland! Looks like all those replies I made to comments here just didn't show up. Never mind, I'll just do it all over again (gardeners are pretty used to doing that, aren't we?)
ReplyDeleteKeats, you must get a lot of passionfruits where you live. I so envy you!
Hi One! Thanks for dropping by.
Yes, I planted them from the seeds I saved from a fruit I had got. It took a couple of years to fruit. Probably because I had to dig it up and shift it around a couple of times. Still, it's really worth it. All the best with your plant!
Gauri, go find some passionfruits and enjoy them right now! Believe me, you'll really enjoy the experience. Especially if you like a cocktail of flavours.
Priy, ditto what I told Gauri. go, find one right now. you'll love it!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely positively, Kate! Do you get the red ones?
Hi Kerri! So good to see you here again :)
Dark purple passionfruit? Wow! I wish I could get my hands on some seeds. They sound terrific.
Elliot's recipe sounds so tempting! I must try it out. Thanks for the tip. I would've never thought of combining marshmallows with passionfruit but it sounds so delicious!
Hey Sunita,
ReplyDeleteIm inspired!!!
Does passion fruit grow in Sub-tropical weather like Manglore/Goa?
Oh Sunita, my mouth started watering as soon as your first passionfruit picture popped up...and your words only made it worse!
ReplyDeleteHi Sunita, Do you know I have never eaten passion fruit before? I think I must endeavor to check for them at the grocery store. It looks so good and so much better that it came from your own garden.
ReplyDeleteHello dear Sunita,
ReplyDeleteSo nice for the monsoons to leave the passionfruit as an after-gift. And yes, the gardener gets to taste the first fruits. Then you can make some lovely sweet delectable dessert with the rest. i haven't ever tasted it but your description makes me want to. The appearance of the inside seeds reminds me a bit of pomegranate which is a chore to eat but the taste is so divine.
Meems
Amazing, tempting to eat. Thanks for sharing those pictures :)
ReplyDeleteHey Nikhil, thanks for dropping by.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! My passionfruit vine is growing in Mumbai which has the same climatic conditions as Mangalore and Goa so yes, it will grow there too. In fact, I think it will grow all over coastal India.
Do you live in Mumbai? If you're living in an apartment, just plant this vine in a pot and allow it to ramble all over the window-grilles.
Time to get yourself some passionfruit then, I think, Heidi! ;D
ReplyDeleteTina, you don't know what you're missing out on! Yes, do go find at least one so that you can taste it for yourself. I almost envy you the new experience :)
Hi Meems! So good to see you here :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the advantages of being a gardener are really sweet. Meems, I think you can easily grow this vine. The red passionfruit is supposed to be more cold-hardy than the yellow ones. In fact, in India it is usually grown in cooler elevated places. So it should definitely grow for you.
The seeds are not very palpable when you eat the pulp (unlike in the pomegranate). They're kind of flat so they're hardly noticed. Unless you're trying to eat it and trying to save the seeds at the same time! ;D
Thanks, Kidberries :)
Those look yummy! I am not surprised why the magic of passion overpowers you, Sunita.
ReplyDeleteOh Sunita - this passion fruit look soooooo good, I am green with envy! How wonderful that you are eating your very own "home grown" passion fruit.
ReplyDeleteK
While I've never eaten a plain piece of passion fruit, I do love the taste of it in juices, etc. I have a Maypop vine in my garden, and it is trying to take over. It still has not bloomed yet this summer, but I have another month or two before the frost comes so maybe it will bloom yet. I can hardly wait!
ReplyDeleteHi Amila! er, can you make that "the magic of passionfruits" please? :D
ReplyDeleteYeah, tasting bottled passionfruit concentrates don't even begin to give you a true taste of the magic. The fresh fruit is amazing!
Hi Karen! Oh yes, it was really that good! And I've been thanking my lucky stars that I live in a tropical country and can grow all this yummy stuff. (But I do waver when I see the most delicious strawberries, blackberries, etc. posted by my friends in temperate climates)
Hi Msrobin! Thanks for coming over :)
ReplyDeleteMaypop! I've never heard of that before. What an intriguing name! Now I just have to do a search for this plant. Does it bear fruit too?
Yes, passionfruit does taste good in juices but believe me its amazing eating the fresh fruit! Try it if you can get hold of some passionfruits.
This is such a rewarding plant. The flowers are gorgeous and the fruits sweet and tasty. Your pictures are fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI have never passion fruit before. I will not tempt my taste buds for one purchased at a grocery store as I know they will not taste the same. I will save myself for a fresh one in its native country some time....
ReplyDeleteI LOVE passion fruit! I don't blame you...just dip the spoon right in there and enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteAutumn Belle, so good to see you here! Do you grow passionfruits too? They must grow so well for you in Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteSkeeter, what a great incentive for tropical travels! :D
Maybe you could do a taste comparison test?
Kimberly, you and I really think alike! :D
I think making dessert can wait a bit till I get my daily quota of fresh fruit.
I've never tried passionfruit, but they look similar to the pomegranite. In that the seed inside is the edible part. Looks yummy! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Racquel they do look quite similar in that you've got to cut through a hard outer skin to get to the pulpy edible parts inside. But the similarity ends there. The passionfruit has got much more concentrated flavour than the pomegranate and a little goes a really, really long way.
ReplyDeleteThe yellow passionfruits are much more tart than the red and can make you scrunch your eyes a bit. But the red is lovely!
We had a passion fruit vine growing in our yard while growing up, but hen I never used to like it ( maybe coz of the overdose). I crave for them now!
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the fruit i licked my monitor,sorryyyy.
ReplyDeleteThat usually happens, Rekha. And I bet the remembered flavours are sweeter than the original too, aren't they? ;D
ReplyDeleteCompletely understandable, callezee! But I'd strongly recommend trying the real stuff :)
It's look really yummy... water my mouth...haa..haa
ReplyDeleteIt's quite difficult for me to get this fruit in my country.
Really? But that's something you can easily remedy, Orchid de dangau. Maybe you could grow a couple of these vines? They grow beautifully in our tropical climate.
ReplyDeleteDear Sunita,
ReplyDeleteCan you please help me in finding passion fruid plant. Iam interested in growing it in my balcony.
sheeba
Hi Sheeba, yes I saw your e-mail and I do have passionfruit plants. Give me a day or two to get back to you, okay?
ReplyDeleteHi Sunita,
ReplyDeleteYou've got me all excited about growing passion fruit in my balcony. But where can I get the vine/seeds in Bombay?
Regards,
Aditya
Hi Aditya!It's a given, right? One can't help but get excited about a plant that looks so exotic in bloom and gives such tasty fruits too. Somewhere somehow Ma Nature really got this one right.
ReplyDeleteI don't have seeds but I may have a couple of vines. I'll have to check first because I did supply some earlier. E-mail me, okay?
Hi Sunita,
ReplyDeletedo you also grow Mangosteen? They are available for cheap in Chennai... but foodhall in lower parel charges a bomb for them... any idea why?
Yes, I do grow mangosteen, Arjun, but they haven't started yielding yet so I have to be patient.
ReplyDeleteI've seen mangosteens on sale at some of the supermarkets in Mumbai and they're just not at the right stage. They're too old and hard which means that they've been plucked too long ago. Mangosteens dont keep very well.
I guess the people in charge of pricing at these stores have to keep in mind the transportation charges but I wish that whoever was in charge of purchasing knew that they're getting cheated with such poor quality!
Hi Sunita,
ReplyDeleteVery informative article you have gathered here on Passion Fruits.
Would you also be able to let me know where I can buy these Passion Fruits in Goa.
Alternatively are you based in Goa so that I can purchase a seedling or plant from you.
Can these be grown in a balcony of a flat.
Thanks a lot for your assistance.
Much appreciated n A huge God Bless!
Thank you, Ayesha. I'm sorry but I'm based in Mumbai. Yes, they can easily be grown in a balcony provided it gets a lot of sunlight. It will grow with less light too but then the chances of getting the fruit is less.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this with us,was looking for passion fruits in mumbai and came across your article. I also planted them last year and now after a year they have fruits which are still raw, waiting eagerly for them to ripen they are still green. Any idea how long it takes for them to ripen. I m based in Ulhasnagar, Thane district.
Rgds,
kanayo
Hi Kanayo, how exciting that your passionfruit vine is yielding! Wait longer than you think you need to before harvesting the fruit. The wrinkled ripe fruit that fall off the vine are much sweeter than the just-ripe, glossy-looking fruit.
DeleteEnjoy! :)