Passion fruit is often classified as an exotic food, but its popularity has spawned its prevalence in produce markets across the world. Ideally, if you want to use them immediately, then you will want to look for ripe fruits that have purple, wrinkled skins. Unripe versions can also be purchased, but you will want to take extra steps to ensure that they are stored properly. Another important feature is the weight of the fruit, as hollow versions are indicative of dryness. The skins of the fruit are not eaten, which is an important feature to keep in mind when you are choosing the best kinds for eating or juicing.
Most of the fruit is shipped to stores when it is just ripe, so you will want to look for ones that have dark purple and wrinkled skins. Like other kinds of produce, passion fruit evolves into a variety of different forms before it is completely mature. Dimples in the skin are a common sign of a quality, ripe fruit, so you should not mistakenly avoid these. Consumer demand for the fruit continues to increase, so it should not be difficult to find the produce in your local supermarket, particularly during the spring and summer months when it is considered to be at peak season.
If you are looking for passion fruit in bulk, or ones for later usage, then you might consider purchasing versions that are not ripe. Unripe fruits are yellow, green, or red in color, before transforming into their well-known purple hues. Although buying multiple unripe fruits might save you money, the food can spoil if you fail to store it properly. For the best results, leave the fruit in your kitchen at room temperature so that it has a chance to ripen. The fruit can only be refrigerated after it is ripe, where it can last for 5 to 7 days.
Heavy passion fruit is indicative of quality pulp within the skin, so you should make sure that you feel the weight of each one before purchasing. Hollow fruits often indicate dried up meat inside, which is often a result of a spoiled food. This type of fruit comes in a variety of different sizes, so you should not solely rely on this feature when choosing the best kinds.
Like pomegranates, the skin of a passion fruit is not edible. Instead, consumers should cut the fruits open and scoop out the pulp when eating them raw. If you are looking to utilize these fruits for juicing, then you can choose yellow-skinned varieties and still obtain quality flavors.