By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! October 2024.
Fig Trees and Passion Fruit in the Garden
We are full into autumn. October is an important month for doing many projects in the garden. It is the middle of September as I write this article. The fig tree that planted itself, from kitchen compost or a bird, has grown very tall and is covered with delicious fruit. I enjoy eating them right off the tree as they become ripe.
There are lots of wonderful recipes for figs. Below is a recipe for Figs Stuffed With Cheese that my friend sent me that she said was just delicious.
A few years ago, I bought several passion flower vines and planted them all over the garden to bring in Gulf Fritillary butterflies, as it is the host plant for this butterfly.
Also, when I was down at Armstrong’s in Del Mar, I decided “why not buy one passion fruit vine too?”
It is so prolific.
What I like to do is cut the fruit in half and use a spoon to scoop out the passion fruit with the seeds. You can eat the seeds with the fruit, it is absolutely delicious. They are delicious just to eat like that over the sink. I take a large freezer bag and put all the fruit in there and put it in the freezer. Through the year, I like to use passion fruit in my shakes and also it is delicious on its own or with blueberries, strawberries, and banana over plain yogurt and cottage cheese.
A friend told me the other day that she uses ice cube trays to freeze passion fruit. This sounds like an excellent idea because you just take those out to add to shakes or whatever you want to do with it. In my case, I just break some off from out the bag and put the rest back in the freezer. The fruit defrosts very quickly and is easy to use.
I really like Suzanne Somers’ product “Gut Renew”. It is also gluten-free. When I make it according to the package directions, it makes enough breakfasts for four days. I use organic peaches, two frozen bananas, which I have previously frozen, mango and plain Kiefer, plain yogurt, and coconut water. To this I add some passion fruit from the freezer. It is so delicious and good for us.
Enjoy October doing all the cutting back and other projects to do this month. An excellent source for what to do is my mother’s book. Pat Welsh’s Southern California Organic Gardening - a month-by-month guide - completely revised and updated. You can buy used copies online or purchase digital copies on Kindle.
Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening: Month by Month - Kindle edition by Welsh, Pat. Crafts, Hobbies & Home Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
Lizard Island “Sea of Life”, 48x48 acrylic on Belgian linen (sold). Garden and nature inspired fine art by Francesca Filanc.
Happy Gardening!
~Francesca
Artist, author, photographer, fly-fisher woman, Francesca Filanc grew up in old Del Mar and these days lives, paints and gardens in historic Olivenhain with her two dogs.
Find her art and writings here:
She can be found on social media:
Have gardening questions or want to learn more about Francie’s art? Contact: Franfilanc@gmail.com
Comments