Passion Fruit Picking / Packing
Passion Fruit – A Juicy Way to Earn Money As You Travel To Australia
Called by many names – passion fruit in the United States, passion fruit in the UK and Commonwealth, and purple granadilla in South Africa – passion fruit is popular because of its sweet taste. It is juicy and seedy on the inside and is being grown in several countries including Australia.
The flowers of the passion fruit are attractive in itself – starry and colourful. It was actually the Spanish missionaries who gave passion fruit its name because the flower resembles the Christ’s crown of thorns.
There are at least 350 varieties of passion fruit but in Australia, there are three popular varieties of it – Misty Gem, Sweetheart, and Mc Guffie’s Red. Passion fruit is a vigorous vine and plantations need to make allowances for it. Cold is the enemy. Wet soil, frost and cold climate can result in poor growth, low fruit production, and even death. Passion fruit needs sun and an efficient drainage system. Passion fruit needs both water and nutrients in abundance, but it is important not to overdo it. Excessive amount of nitrogen can lead to low production.
Passion fruit starts to bear fruit after 18 months but grafted passion fruit starts bearing fruits just after seven months. You have to wait after 75 days after flowering before the fruit matures. A well-irrigated and mature vine can give two to three crops in a year.
As the fruit matures, the skin colour of the fruit will change from green to yellow or purple – depending on the variety. Always remember that a green fruit must never be harvested. If fruits are harvested when they are not fully mature, it will result to low quality fruit – poor taste, high acidity and some do not mature at all, which is counterproductive.
The farmers will probably inform you if the fruits that you are picking are for export or for local consumption. If the fruits are for export, it is best to harvest it when it’s at least 75% mature – a bit yellowish than greenish.
Fruits must not be allowed to drop off the ground before harvesting. It will lead to faster deterioration. After dropping on the ground, the fruit will immediately loose moisture and it means that the fruits are going to be lighter by at least 20 percent. Aside from that, skin of the fruits is going to be sun damaged.
If the intention is for domestic market, harvesting a fully ripe fruit is advisable and fruits that dropped off the ground can be picked up but needs to be processed and packed as soon as possible.
Harvesting passion fruit requires manual labour. Use sharp-edged clippers to cut or clip the fruits from the vines. It is important to remember not to cut at the stricture of the stem because it will lead to water loss. Leave at least 1.5 inches of stem from the fruit and since passion fruit grows on vines, no ladder is necessary. Harvest fruits with care. Use plastic bucket to collect the fruits while harvesting to avoid any damage on the fruits. Harvesting passion fruit when it’s rainy is not advisable.
