Perfectly plump and heading into peak season, Aussie passionfruit is ripe for the picking. Passionfruit is a great source of fibre and of vitamin C. It is also only 55 kilojoules per serve!
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Facts & Tips
- Pick plump: Wrinkly doesn’t mean ripe. Go for plump, heavy passionfruit.
- Bag it: With protective skin they don’t spoil easily but to make them last longer, keep them in a plastic bag in the fridge. It stops them from dehydrating, they’ll last a month!
- Get passionate about health: Passionfruit is a good source of fibre, a source of vitamin C and low in energy – only 55 kilojoules per serve!
- Gettin’ juicy: Instead of chopping them in half, chop the top off and eat it like a boiled egg with a spoon to avoid losing the juice.
- Flavour boost: Make everyday meals special! Scoop passionfruit onto cereal, enjoy with yoghurt, add to desserts or mix it into your banana smoothie to kick start your day.
- Delicious dressing: Try adding passionfruit to a traditional balsamic and olive oil dressing for a tasty, tangy change.
- Strain for seedless: If the black edible seeds don’t take your fancy and you’d prefer passionfruit pulp, simply strain the seeds out.
- Irresistible icy poles: For a refreshing summer treat, freeze passion fruit pulp in ice trays or popsicle moulds.
- Sweet treat passion: Make simple desserts more exotic. Add to ice cream, spoon onto on a sponge cake or use on a cheese platter in place of quince paste.
Make a refreshingly delightful Mango and Passionfruit Tiramisu. Get the recipe here!
- Perfect pairings: Passionfruit goes well with fish, pork, coconut milk, vanilla, honey, banana, mango and pastry.
- Delectable drinks for party season: The liquid nature of passionfruit pulp makes it perfect for adding to beverage for a tangy twist. Try making a passionfruit Caprioska by mixing vodka, lime and passionfruit.
- Get passionate all year round: Passionfruit is available year round but there are two supply peaks in summer (December – February) and winter (June – August).
2 tips to remember when picking and storing passionfruit:
- Pick ripe fruit that’s plump, smooth and heavy for its size – wrinkly does not mean ripe!
- Passionfruit lasts up to one month in the fridge and two weeks in the fruit bowl – keep them in a plastic bag to maximise freshness
Watch celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay create delicious Passionfruit and Banana Souffles
Tasty ideas
- Spoon fresh passionfruit over ice-cream and pop in the freezer for a few minutes; the juice will freeze over the ice cream creating a delicious fruity dessert
- Enjoy a summer fruit salad in the morning, topped with fresh passionfruit for a tropical tang
- Passionfruit glazes and sauces are a perfect match for meat such as roast chicken or pork spare ribs, as they add a sweet and tangy flavour profile. Try coating chicken with a mix of passionfruit pulp, oil, ginger and garlic before roasting
- Add passionfruit to classic baked desserts for a fragrant twist. Mix into tarts, slices or icing, or drizzle over cheesecake or pavlova
- Enjoy passionfruit as on its own – instead of chopping them in half, simply slice off the top to avoid losing the juice. Packed with vitamin C and fibre, a passionfruit makes for a delicious and nutritious snack
- Make a roast chicken with spicy peruvian passionfruit sauce – get the recipe here.
- Create a passionfruit kingfish ceviche as an in-season appetiser – get the recipe here.
- Serve up some seafood on the barbie with gourmet Moroccan glazed BBQ prawns – get the recipe here.
A passionate passionfruit picker
Aussie passionfruits are set to pop off the vines this summer, with drier El Nino conditions resulting in a more consistent flow of excellent quality passionfruit throughout the season.
Nick Hornery, a second generation Australian Passionfruit grower from Newybar in Northern NSW, is happy to report the fruit will be particularly sweet and in abundant supply this summer. Although it is available all year round, passionfruit experiences a peak in summer and winter.
Beautiful passionfruits growing on the vine
Nick is one of 190 passionfruit farmers in Australia who work seven days a week to deliver top quality fruit to store shelves around the country. In the height of summer, Nick enlists a team of locals to help collect up to 25,000 – 30,000 passionfruit per day on their farm. The busy four-week period peaks around the full moon, where Nick see the most prolific drop of fruit.
He has recently introduced his own bee hives on the farm, which he says have really helped the fruiting process and have been a key factor in this year’s bumper crop. believing this will assist the fruiting process and deliver more passionfruit each season.
“As we head into summer, the warmer weather produces sweeter, aromatic fruit that grows at a prolific rate and dry conditions help the fruit set in the passionfruit flowers. We’ll be flat out collecting and distributing fruit in December and the plentiful supply could continue until Autumn.”
“There have always been many beehives around the farm, however we’ve now been able to capture our own hives to manage ourselves. This is a bit of a tricky process; we have to shake the trees to capture the swarm or ball of bees and then move them to where they can best pollinate our vines. I haven’t been stung yet but I’m planning to take a course in beekeeping to get more expertise.”
What is your favourite dish to use passionfruit in or with? Join the conversation.