Passionflowers fruits edible?
 

My mother has grown a passion flower (not sure of species) which has
produced orange plum-sized fruits with red "jelly"-coated seeds inside.

Are they edible?

I know the usual passion fruit, as sold in greengrocers, is a sort of
wrinkled brown-skinned thing with yellowy "jelly" coating on the seeds so am
not sure whether I ought to be taking a chance with Mother's.
--
Brian

In article ,
Brian Watson wrote:
My mother has grown a passion flower (not sure of species) which has
produced orange plum-sized fruits with red "jelly"-coated seeds inside.

Are they edible?

I know the usual passion fruit, as sold in greengrocers, is a sort of
wrinkled brown-skinned thing with yellowy "jelly" coating on the seeds so am
not sure whether I ought to be taking a chance with Mother's.

If it grows outside anywhere outside Torquay, the Scilly Isles etc.,
it will be P. caerulea. The fruits are edible but insipid.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Brian Watson" wrote in message
...
My mother has grown a passion flower (not sure of species) which has
produced orange plum-sized fruits with red "jelly"-coated seeds inside.

Are they edible?

I know the usual passion fruit, as sold in greengrocers, is a sort of
wrinkled brown-skinned thing with yellowy "jelly" coating on the seeds so
am
not sure whether I ought to be taking a chance with Mother's.
--
Brian


I read somewhere that you could make a jelly from them but having nibbled a
little of one of the fruits on my Mum's plant I think it would be very
dissapointing.

Sam

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Brian Watson wrote:
My mother has grown a passion flower (not sure of species) which has
produced orange plum-sized fruits with red "jelly"-coated seeds inside.

Are they edible?

I know the usual passion fruit, as sold in greengrocers, is a sort of
wrinkled brown-skinned thing with yellowy "jelly" coating on the seeds so
am
not sure whether I ought to be taking a chance with Mother's.

If it grows outside anywhere outside Torquay, the Scilly Isles etc.,
it will be P. caerulea. The fruits are edible but insipid.

Thanks. What is the one grown for producing real passion fruit then, please?

I fancy giving it a go (already getting reasonable results from sown shop
varieties of Physalis and Kiwi).

If Cambridgeshire gets as good a summer as we've had this year and I can
shield it so it's not blown away, I think I might get lucky with a few
edible fruits.
--
Brian

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:1gj92s2.1hgt3svxbp48wN%00senetnospamtodayta@m acunlimited.net...
Brian Watson wrote:

If Cambridgeshire gets as good a summer as we've had this year and I can
shield it so it's not blown away, I think I might get lucky with a few
edible fruits.

P.edulis or P.quadrangularis (there are a couple of others I don't
remember offhand.) However these aren't likely to do welloutside (its
usually the wet in winter that kills em as well as the cold)

http://www.passiflora-uk.co.uk/collection.shtml

if you can get hold of a copy of Passionflowers by John Vanderplank (my
local library has a copy, you might get lucky)

Common Blue is supposed to be quite nice mixed with apple in pie and the
leaves make a anxiolytic tea (studies showed efffects similar to
Tamezepam but with less side effects!:)) (don't try this at home kids)


MYLES IRVINE's site at:
http://www.passionflow.co.uk/ has LOADS of info on growing and mentions
a few fellow URG members:)

Great, thank you. I may try them in a top-protected, but sunny, spot.

--
Brian
Sig: I have nothing to say

"Brian Watson" wrote in message
...

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:1gj92s2.1hgt3svxbp48wN%00senetnospamtodayta@m acunlimited.net...
Brian Watson wrote:

If Cambridgeshire gets as good a summer as we've had this year and I
can
shield it so it's not blown away, I think I might get lucky with a few
edible fruits.

P.edulis or P.quadrangularis (there are a couple of others I don't
remember offhand.) However these aren't likely to do welloutside (its
usually the wet in winter that kills em as well as the cold)

http://www.passiflora-uk.co.uk/collection.shtml

if you can get hold of a copy of Passionflowers by John Vanderplank (my
local library has a copy, you might get lucky)

Common Blue is supposed to be quite nice mixed with apple in pie and the
leaves make a anxiolytic tea (studies showed efffects similar to
Tamezepam but with less side effects!:)) (don't try this at home kids)


MYLES IRVINE's site at:
http://www.passionflow.co.uk/ has LOADS of info on growing and mentions
a few fellow URG members:)

Great, thank you. I may try them in a top-protected, but sunny, spot.

--
Brian
Sig: I have nothing to say


I also read about being able to sub them for blackberries in a blackberry
and apple pie. Perhaps you could try this. I was never sure whether it meant
the whole fruit or just the inside!
I've also read you could plant the supermarket fruit and get it to grow
(with the right conditions). Probably worth a go if you want to grow
P.edulis as to buy the seeds from a seed supplier is usually quite expensive
(in comparison) and I expect you'd get a much better germination from the
fruit itself. Seeds can be difficult to germinate.

Also - there are a one or two other varieties that sometimes survive outside
in the UK. One common name 'maypops' (I forget the latin) is extremely hardy
and has pretty purple flowers (not sure about the fruit). According to
passionflow website, there are quite a few others that will take frost,
thought that isn't reflected in other documentation. I suspect that

"Matthew Durkin" wrote in message
...
"Brian Watson" wrote in message
...

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:1gj92s2.1hgt3svxbp48wN%00senetnospamtodayta@m acunlimited.net...
Brian Watson wrote:

If Cambridgeshire gets as good a summer as we've had this year and I
can
shield it so it's not blown away, I think I might get lucky with a few
edible fruits.

P.edulis or P.quadrangularis (there are a couple of others I don't
remember offhand.) However these aren't likely to do welloutside (its
usually the wet in winter that kills em as well as the cold)

http://www.passiflora-uk.co.uk/collection.shtml

if you can get hold of a copy of Passionflowers by John Vanderplank (my
local library has a copy, you might get lucky)

Common Blue is supposed to be quite nice mixed with apple in pie and the
leaves make a anxiolytic tea (studies showed efffects similar to
Tamezepam but with less side effects!:)) (don't try this at home kids)


MYLES IRVINE's site at:
http://www.passionflow.co.uk/ has LOADS of info on growing and mentions
a few fellow URG members:)

Great, thank you. I may try them in a top-protected, but sunny, spot.

--
Brian
Sig: I have nothing to say


I also read about being able to sub them for blackberries in a blackberry
and apple pie. Perhaps you could try this. I was never sure whether it
meant the whole fruit or just the inside!
I've also read you could plant the supermarket fruit and get it to grow
(with the right conditions). Probably worth a go if you want to grow
P.edulis as to buy the seeds from a seed supplier is usually quite
expensive (in comparison) and I expect you'd get a much better germination
from the fruit itself. Seeds can be difficult to germinate.

Also - there are a one or two other varieties that sometimes survive
outside in the UK. One common name 'maypops' (I forget the latin) is
extremely hardy and has pretty purple flowers (not sure about the fruit).
According to passionflow website, there are quite a few others that will
take frost, thought that isn't reflected in other documentation. I suspect
that
[oops]
.... I suspect that it depends upon the length of time they are kept that
cold and how wet the soil is. I'm also gonna give some less hardy species a
go...
good luck
Matt

"Matthew Durkin" wrote in message
...

I also read about being able to sub them for blackberries in a
blackberry
and apple pie. Perhaps you could try this. I was never sure whether it
meant the whole fruit or just the inside!
I've also read you could plant the supermarket fruit and get it to grow
(with the right conditions). Probably worth a go if you want to grow
P.edulis as to buy the seeds from a seed supplier is usually quite
expensive (in comparison) and I expect you'd get a much better
germination
from the fruit itself. Seeds can be difficult to germinate.

Also - there are a one or two other varieties that sometimes survive
outside in the UK. One common name 'maypops' (I forget the latin) is
extremely hardy and has pretty purple flowers (not sure about the
fruit).
According to passionflow website, there are quite a few others that will
take frost, thought that isn't reflected in other documentation. I
suspect
that
[oops]
... I suspect that it depends upon the length of time they are kept that
cold and how wet the soil is. I'm also gonna give some less hardy species
a
go...
good luck

Thanks. And you!

:-)

--
Brian

In article ,
Matthew Durkin wrote:

I also read about being able to sub them for blackberries in a blackberry
and apple pie. Perhaps you could try this. I was never sure whether it meant
the whole fruit or just the inside!

The inside. And it substitutes for blackberry only if you find
supermarket foods too strongly flavoured. Forget it.

Yes, you can grow P. edulis from seed.

On another point, Cambridge has had a summer that has been equal
parts warm and miserable, like most other places. P. edulis hasn't
a hope in hell of surviving the winter unprotected, even if dry,
as we get mild frosts even in mild winters (-5 Celcius last year).
I am trying P. incarnata, which can take frost, but finds our
summers too cold for it :-(


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Matthew Durkin wrote:
and apple pie. Perhaps you could try this. I was never sure whether it
meant
the whole fruit or just the inside!

The inside. And it substitutes for blackberry only if you find
supermarket foods too strongly flavoured. Forget it.

Yes, you can grow P. edulis from seed.

On another point, Cambridge has had a summer that has been equal
parts warm and miserable, like most other places. P. edulis hasn't
a hope in hell of surviving the winter unprotected, even if dry,
as we get mild frosts even in mild winters (-5 Celcius last year).
I am trying P. incarnata, which can take frost, but finds our
summers too cold for it :-(


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I have never managed to get P. incanata thru the winter, too wet I think. I
get the occasional fruit on P. mollisima and P. antioquiensis but not enough
to call them fruiting plants :~)
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

On another point, Cambridge has had a summer that has been equal
parts warm and miserable, like most other places. P. edulis hasn't
a hope in hell of surviving the winter unprotected, even if dry,
as we get mild frosts even in mild winters (-5 Celcius last year).
I am trying P. incarnata, which can take frost, but finds our
summers too cold for it :-(

Howzabout P. incarnata under glass? I am thinking of putting it in a
greenhouse?

--
Brian

In article ,
Brian Watson wrote:

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

On another point, Cambridge has had a summer that has been equal
parts warm and miserable, like most other places. P. edulis hasn't
a hope in hell of surviving the winter unprotected, even if dry,
as we get mild frosts even in mild winters (-5 Celcius last year).
I am trying P. incarnata, which can take frost, but finds our
summers too cold for it :-(

Howzabout P. incarnata under glass? I am thinking of putting it in a
greenhouse?

It shouldn't be a problem, even in a cold greenhouse.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:1gjakt7.1idz4f1z4bayoN%00senetnospamtodayta@m acunlimited.net...

Just as a followup P. incarnata 'should' survive in the south (at least
south of London anyway) in a well drained spot.

'the book' (Passionflowers) gives recommendations from the author to
plant both of these on 'old builders rubble' which gives some indication
of how well drained they like their immediate root run though I'd
suggest access to good moisture sources.

Our P.caerula (common blue) is up tight against a S facing wall .

The other thing growers warn against is growing from seed unless you
have time as Passiflora are extremely variable from seed:) You could
have to wait a while to see if fruits were good croppers or not.. Mind
you you could also potentially discover a new cultivar this way! :D

I recommend to people to by plants from 'known' parent stock if possible
(of course this isn't always possible but its worth trying) For
flowering P's I try and buy plants in flower or propagate from a 'known'
good bloomer.


Now in a greenhouse of course you 'could' allow a vine to 'grow' from
inside and then train 'out' in the summer (as is done with some grape
vines I believe. Thus the greenhouse would protect the parent plant in
winter.

All good food for thought.

That "feet in a greenhouse" idea is pretty much what I had in mind from the
previous advice given here.

--
Brian
Sig: I have nothing to say

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Brian Watson wrote:

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

On another point, Cambridge has had a summer that has been equal
parts warm and miserable, like most other places. P. edulis hasn't
a hope in hell of surviving the winter unprotected, even if dry,
as we get mild frosts even in mild winters (-5 Celcius last year).
I am trying P. incarnata, which can take frost, but finds our
summers too cold for it :-(

Howzabout P. incarnata under glass? I am thinking of putting it in a
greenhouse?

It shouldn't be a problem, even in a cold greenhouse.

OK, thanks.

--
Brian
Sig: I have nothing to say

In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:


I have never managed to get P. incanata thru the winter, too wet I think. I
get the occasional fruit on P. mollisima and P. antioquiensis but not enough
to call them fruiting plants :~)

I grew three plants last year, kept one inside, left one in a pot and
put one in the ground. The first did NOT die down, the second grew
slowly and I dug the third up in June (it had JUST started to shoot).
I have planted the first in the rain shadow of the house (not ideal,
as it faces north-west) and it is ramping - let's see next year. I
planted the second where the third was, and it is NOT ramping. I gave
the third away.

More news next year ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.