Maypop

What it is

Maypop is Passiflora incarnata. The fruit starts pale green, then turns yellow-green or yellow-orange as it matures. Inside, the pulp and seeds loosen from the thick rind. The ripe pulp is sweet and tangy; the seeds can add a sour or bitter taste. That's why the seeds are best strained out.

Where it comes from

The vine is native to the southeastern and south-central United States, as well as Bermuda. It likes sun and turns up in disturbed, open places: fence lines, railroad tracks, riverbanks and pastures. Cherokee people call the fruit uwaga.

How it's eaten where it grows

A Cherokee elder remembers picking ripe uwaga on the walk to school, busting them open and sucking on the seeds. In central Florida, home-grown maypops become both fresh snacks and jelly. Strained juice, sugar and pectin make a spread for toast or a tangy swirl in yoghurt.

Maypop freezer jam uses the fruit’s insides without the rind. The pulp is heated and strained to leave the seeds behind, then cooked with sugar and pectin. On the Florida homestead, small harvests are saved up for one batch by freezing the scooped pulp in ice cube trays.

How it's grown

Maypop climbs by curling tendrils around a support, or sprawls across the ground. It needs sunlight for at least half the day and prefers fertile soil that drains well. New plants grow from seeds or cuttings. The perennial vine dies back in cold winters and spreads through shoots from its roots.

When and where you'll find it

Maypop is usually harvested from July to October; in Alabama, fruit typically ripens by late summer. Each fruit takes two to three months to develop after flowering. Home patches provide fresh fruit, and specialist online markets such as Foraged list maypop under its species name, Passiflora incarnata.