Passion Fruit Jam

Its fragrance fills the room as i write this piece on the wonderful gem of a fruit which ironically is named after the Lord's Passion.. passion fruit! It thrives in cold weather which is ideal for our Benguet climate. And yes it is indigenous to my hometown of Mankayan where during the rainy season, it grows wild and in abundance too. So when my mom comes visiting us in the city, she brings a bagful of these gems along with some soon to be ripened bananas as well. We make fresh fruit juice right away savoring the heavenly smell and lovely tangy taste! yum!


The health benefits of passion fruit are so immense that people call it "the wonder fruit" . At this site is found a list of benefits of passion fruit. But what amazes me is how it is likened to the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ  through these attributes which I'm re-posting from Wikipedia:

• The three stigmas reflect the three nails in Jesus's hands and feet.
• The threads of the passion flower resemble the Crown of Thorns.
• The vine's tendrils are likened to the whips.
• The five anthers represented the five wounds.
• The ten petals and sepals regarded to resemble the Apostles(excluding Judas and Peter).
• The purple petals representing the purple robe used to mock Jesus' claim to kingship (Mt. 27:28)

The recipe for this delight starts with thoroughly washed 3 pcs. of passion fruit to yield 1 1/2 cups of pulp and seeds. Cut open the fruits and scoop out the pulp and seeds of each and put in a bowl. Store in the refrigerator. The 6 halves of fruit shells you will need to soak in 2 cups of water in a bowl too, which you will also chill overnight. Next morning, take out pulp from the fridge and boil in water for about 10 minutes. Take out from the water and cool.

Peel the skin away from the inner flesh that remained on the shells. Place the inner flesh into a pot, along with 1/4 cup of water, and mash to a pulp. Add the pulp and the seeds that you removed yesterday, along with the 2 1/3 cup sugar and the juice of half a lime, to the same pot and boil for 15 minutes. During this time the mixture should thicken.

Pour the hot jam into hot, sterilized jars, to within 1/4 inch from the top of the jar. Seal the jars. Enjoy them with toasted bread and butter! And a hot cup o' brewed coffee of course! Once again, a food indigenous to the highlands! :)