Wild, Unbridled Passion....Passion Fruit and Goldenrod, That Is!

Who doesn't love a little passion? Especially if it's wild and it's free. Come on now!! I'm talking about Wild Passion Fruit - what did you think I meant?? I'm talking about one of those wild fruits that is almost as delicious as it is indescribable. It grows as a wild native in US Zones 5b-10 and is also known as Maypops and in those warmer climes it becomes invasive and a downright nuisance.  I could almost detest it if it weren't for the delicious fruits it produces. Its civilized cousin grows in tropical and subtropical regions and is also called Lilikoi.  It is red when ripe and slightly larger but lacks the sweetness of the wild version. Heck, it's even one of the state flowers of Tennessee! The Wild Passion Fruit (passiflora incarnata) is a vigorous, low growing vine that puts out three-lobed leaves in late May like this:


Followed by stunningly beautiful blooms like this in July:


Then by fruit in late August through September:


When the fruit is not yet ripe it has a most foul odor but as it ripens it becomes sweet smelling and perfumey - very tropical.  They are the color of Granny Smith apples when unripe but when they are ready to eat they will turn a lemony green color and fall from the vine. You'll find them laying on the ground all underneath the vines canopies, pick one up. break it open and just smell it. It's amazing, to say the least. Now, the seeds aren't quite as appealing to look at. They are a grayish green color and they are covered in a thick. squishy, juicy membrane. Yes, I know, it doesn't sound nice, but just taste them.....they are delicious.

And they make a fabulous jam! It doesn't taste quite like the fruits smell, more like pineapple when it's finished, but very tasty indeed. Great way to make a little extra money is to make jelly out of foraged fruits like this.  All you need is sugar and jars! Here's the recipe:

Wild Passion Fruit Jam
20 ripe passion fruit
juice of 1 lemon
4 c sugar
Scoop seeds out of the hulls and set aside. Reserve half of the hulls and place in a saucepan, cover with water and cook 30-40 minutes or until soft and translucent. Drain cooked hulls, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Let cool and scrape the flesh from the hulls. You will be left with a paper thin skin, discard that. Place the cooked pulp into a food processor and process until you have a puree. Add the seeds, puree, lemon juice and sugar into a deep saucepan, bring to a boil and cook on medium low heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Strain seeds out (if desired, I leave a few in there. They're crunchy and they make a nice contrast) skim and ladle into 4 oz jelly jars, seal. Makes nine 4 oz jars.

Now, jam isn't the only use for Passion Vine.  The leaves are a potent calming agent and sleep inducer. Just gather healthy green leaves and dry them slowly in a cool room on a cookie sheet or in a dehydrator then lightly crush them and add a tablespoon of the dried leaves to your favorite herbal tea blend and relax.  They are pretty potent and it's not recommended to use them more than 3 times a week.

The next plant I want to tell you about is Goldenrod (solidago canadensis).  Yep, I can hear some of you fussing already about seasonal allergies and blaming the poor Goldenrod for them but it's not the Goldenrod causing those allergies, it's the Ragweed plant.  It's easy to confuse the allergen source since they grow alongside eachother and they bloom about the same time. The species name, solidago comes from the latin word "solido" which means "to make whole" and that it does. Goldenrod is your friend and by the time you read about it, you'll agree with me!

This is a blooming Goldenrod as well as a closeup of the leaves:



Have you ever brushed up against a Bull Nettle plant and felt like you had been lit afire? It causes a painful burning sensation that can last for an hour.  Want that burn to stop immediately? Grab a handful of Goldenrod leaves, bruise them in your hand and rub them on the painful area - gone. Just like that. Teach your kids that and they won't come howling in pain! That's just one of its many redeeming qualities.....

Goldenrod blooms from late August to September and will last until early October, giving you plenty of time to harvest them.  It has many properties such as an antiseptic, antifungal, diuretic and antioxidant and has been historically used to treat urinary tract infections, kidney stones (although this is probably more folklore since it hasn't been medically proven yet), vaginal and oral yeast infections, diarrhea and minor skin irritations. It is also used as a substitute for tobacco in a pinch.   The blossoms are used to make oils for salves, soaps and ointments and the leaves and stem are used for tinctures and teas. I make an oil from the blossoms to make a healing salve that is very soothing for skin irritations such as poison ivy, heat rash or bug bites.  It has some anesthetic qualities so it's great for numbing the itchy areas too! Make the oil first by collecting 8-10 flower tops, place in a small crock pot and add 1 cup of either olive, almond,avocado or coconut oil and set on low, let it go for 24 hours. Strain and use the oil for salves, creams and soaps.  Here'e the recipe I use for the salve:
Stop the Itch Goldenrod Salve
1/2 cup Goldenrod oil
1/2 ounce beeswax, chopped
30 drops grapefruit seed oil
30 drops Vitamin E oil
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on low until beeswax is almost melted. Remove from heat and stir until wax is completely melted, pour into jars and store in a cool place.

If you like to make homemade lye soap you can add 1/2 cup Goldenrod oil and 1/2 cup dried Goldenrod blossoms to the soap for an anti itch soap.

If you're using it for tea, use the leaves and stems, dried slowly, and add 1 tablespoon to an herbal tea blend of your choice in 8 ounces of water, up to three times a day.

So....do you love Goldenrod now???? I hope so!

Thank you for reading my blog and get out there and forage!