PASSION ON VALENTINE’S

Mixing passion fruit and passion?

Passion was not the first I was thinking of when I wake up today on Valentine’s day. I was more longing for a perfect boiled egg, some fresh ground coffee and to get Milo (The Rottweiler), who snoozed happily on top of the duvet of ours to move so I could feel my own feet again. I’m sure all our kids are happy that this was the pure thoughts of their 51 year old mother. And the truth is that all my wishes came true. My better half made both perfect egg and coffee and Milo did eventually move.

Let us stay on the safe conversation of food.

Something who also is very good for you are passionfruits (Passiflora edulis).

That small, sometimes wrinkly little fruit (strictly speaking it’s originally defined as a berry) is loaded with nutrients.

It’s an evergreen vigorously climber who needs space but will reward you with fruits almost instant compared to a lot of other trees and bushes. I planted one by the foot of a Queen Palm mainly to cover up the ugly green twine which was used to keep the palm in place. I bought a potted 4 feet high and two feet wide plant in June, and there have been fruits since September.

And it’s such an easy and beautiful plant to have in your garden! It is almost laughably easy to know when to harvest because the fruits drop to the ground, and then you pick it up, put it in a bowl and eat it whenever you feel for it. Just cut the fruit in two, and spoon the seeds and the fruit out of the thick skin. you can also make drinks, desserts and sauces of the fruit.

The roots are shallow so remember to mulch around the plant and try to keep it in place buy pruning the laterals.

And remember there are many varieties of passionflower, and not everyone gives fruit.

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