Passion fruit (also granadilla or maracuya) is an edible tropical egg-shaped fruit packed with nutritious seeds surrounded by juicy yellow pulp that offers many health benefits.
Scoop out the pulp from within the shell and blend with seeds (do not overpulse!) or squeeze to extract juice. Pour extracted juice into a vessel and combine it with sugar to form syrup.
Health Benefits
Passion fruit squash is an economical beverage that provides vital nutrition to the body in just ten calories. Packed with antioxidants to fight free radicals that contribute to chronic diseases, beta carotene can protect against heart disease and oxidative stress, while vitamin C provides immunity and can protect against inflammation.
Apart from its health benefits, this refreshing beverage offers many other advantages as well. Fiber aids digestion and generally keeps the digestive tract functioning, while prebiotic compounds feed good bacteria that reside within your stomach. Furthermore, its low-fat content makes it perfect for dieters looking to reduce total fat consumption.
The seeds and skin of this fruit contain abundant quantities of soluble fibers that can help manage blood sugar levels while also protecting against advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) that lead to skin wrinkles. Furthermore, its pulp and seeds contain an active plant compound known as piceatannol, which has been demonstrated to improve insulin sensitivity among humans.
Additionally, its low glycemic index makes this fruit an ideal option for diabetics and those with high cholesterol levels. Furthermore, potassium helps regulate blood pressure and reduce cardiovascular risks by helping regulate it further.
Passion fruit squash is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, including folates that may help prevent birth defects and increase chances for a successful pregnancy, magnesium to ease stress relief and anxiety, and potassium, an anti-oxidant. Passion fruit is an excellent source of vitamin A, which promotes eye health while preventing dryness and flaking of the skin. Furthermore, passion fruit offers low calories with high percentages of dietary fiber – perfect for babies and toddlers! Passion fruit is a rich source of antioxidants that can protect both the brain and eyes against damage caused by free radicals, while its natural diuretic effect helps lower blood pressure by flushing excess sodium from your system and relieving pressure on arterial walls. Passion fruit also offers numerous health benefits for people with high blood pressure as it acts as an effective diuretic and removes sodium deposits that build up in your system, causing increased pressure levels.
Recipes
Passion Fruit Squash is a delectable and healthy drink created from passion fruit pulp mixed carefully with sugar syrup, making for an irresistibly refreshing summer drink! Packed full of Vitamin C and other essential nutrients such as hemoglobin increases and circulation improvements, as well as fiber benefits, it is easy to prepare and soothing to the stomach.
Juice can be used as an excellent replacement for lemonade and is often added as an ingredient to juice recipes. With its refreshingly unique tangy taste and high levels of potassium to maintain normal blood pressure levels and antioxidants to combat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, it makes an ideal health drink as a good option for diabetics as it doesn’t cause sudden spikes in glucose. In addition, iron is found here, which is necessary to make red blood cells and provide oxygen throughout your body.
To create this passion fruit drink recipe, first rinse and clean ripe fruits under cold water to remove any dirt particles. Next, soak them for approximately one to two minutes in cold water in a basin or sink filled with cold water in order to soften their outer shell. Afterward, peel off and scoop out their contents. Seeds and pulp are edible, but for best results, it is best to keep them separate for now. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend briefly so as to break up seeds and pulp in order to extract more juice from them. Once processed, strain the mix through a fine mesh sieve to separate pulp from seeds. Transfer this mixture to a glass pitcher and combine it with water before chilling the serving. To sweeten, use any dissolvable sweeteners or simple syrup (a 1:1 sugar/water ratio that has been brought to a boil and then chilled) as needed.
This tropical drink recipe is an easy and fast way to create something refreshing all year long, an alternative to lemonade that you can enjoy on hot days. Please ensure all equipment you will use for making this drink has been cleaned, sterilized, and sun-dried properly to prevent fungal growth or spoilage of your beverage.
Preparation
Ideal preparation of this delicious beverage involves fresh passion fruit; however, store-bought puree works just as well. Make sure the juice you purchase or create yourself does not contain added sugar and preservatives; this sweet and tart drink makes an ideal summer beverage packed with vitamin C as well as other vital nutrients vital to health.
Start by placing passion fruit shells in a sink or large bowl filled with cold water, either directly from the tap or using an immersion-type device. Their outer protective shell can often trap dirt and insects, so first rinse under running cold water, then rub away any lingering particles using your fingertips.
Once the passion fruit shells have been cleaned and assembled, transfer them to a large preserving pan or heavy-based saucepan and mix well with the pulp that has been soaking overnight. Let this boil for 30 minutes until its inner part softens completely.
After your mixture has cooled, remove the pulp and seeds using a spoon or knife and transfer to another vessel. Use a blender if necessary to achieve maximum smoothness of pulp; once blended, strain through a strainer to catch any remaining seeds.
After the squash has completely cooled down, pour it into bottles and store it in the fridge until needed. Taste for sweetness as needed before refrigerating to set.
Delicious and refreshing beverages made of coconut water can be found at supermarkets and specialty markets worldwide. Sold in various sizes that can last for two weeks in the refrigerator, they can be served on their own or mixed with water before refrigerating for later consumption. It is a perfect alternative to high-calorie beverages like coffee and tea, which contain sodium. Plus, it is low in fat and cholesterol – perfect for people living with health conditions!
Storage
No matter whether passion fruit squash is part of your daily diet or simply as an enjoyable drink, proper storage is vital for its freshness. Tropical fruit such as passion fruit can quickly turn rancid if mishandled; luckily, there are multiple easy strategies for keeping passion fruit fresh until use.
Passion Fruit is a large yellow or purple tropical fruit with a hard shell that grows on vines, boasting brightly-colored pulp that contains an array of vitamins and minerals that make its pulp nutritionally packed with nutrition. It also adds zesty flavor to juices, cocktails, desserts, etc., and it has several health benefits, such as helping reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.
To preserve passion fruit, select an over-ripe and heavy for its size passion fruit and peel away its outer skin. Place the pulp and seeds into a blender on low speed to separate the juice from the seeds; sieve any tiny seeds left behind as needed. Allow juice to cool before pouring it into clean bottles to store in your refrigerator.
Passion fruit should last up to two months when stored correctly, provided it’s stored in a relaxed, dry environment with adequate airflow. A tarp may trap condensation under it, which could compromise its quality.
Yellow and purple passion fruit tend to naturally fall to the ground when they reach full maturity, which is an organic part of their development that does not cause damage to either their flesh or thick outer skin. To ensure good postharvest quality, it is vital that regular harvesting take place.
Proper handling and storage can extend the lifespan of passion fruit considerably. To prevent mold formation, always handle it with clean hands in a dry environment; moldy passion fruit tastes terrible and may contain harmful bacteria; if in doubt about whether your fruit is safe to consume, check for signs of mold, such as a sour smell or wrinkled appearance before eating it.
