Click on this link: http://www.salisbury.edu/arboretum/Akebia/AkQu/AkQuFR.html to see the fruit of the akebia quinata. My goodness, I had no idea it produced fruit til my friend Jeff called last night and sounded the alarm! “Quick,” he said, “come over and look at the vine at my entryway!” Well, I was in my PJ’s so I just strolled out and took a little looksee at my akebia and YIKES! there they were! One fruit the size of a banana and one the size of an Easter egg eggplant. WHO KNEW?
Apparently the fruit or the seeds are edible……but don’t try this at home. I have no idea how to prepare the fruit or the seeds or what to do with them. And, there are two different colors of the fruit. My friend and garden guru gurl Crickett, at Far West, tells me her fruit on the vine is pale purple, like a pale eggplant. Mine are pale yellow. Wow.
Now, after all the excitement, back to making plum chutney. And plum jam, and plum-whatever concoction. I have the Cointreau out, so who knows what will happen in the kitchen.
1 response so far ↓
1 Carolyn // Sep 25, 2007 at 7:12 pm
I have had two akebia in my back yard for a few years now. They are not at all shy to set fruit if you have two different varieties. Mine are white and purple.
The fruit pulp is REALLY yummy, and tastes very creamy and rich, and a little like tapioca. The seeds are hard and a little bitter. The only thing I have figured out to do with them so far is just eat them right out of the pod. I just scoop the “caterpillar” out, suck the pulp off the seeds, then spit the seeds back into the empty pod and toss it away.
The really fun thing to do is to carefully place a “caterpillar” on the palm of your hand, use two little seeds for eyes, then say “watch this!” and pop it into your mouth in front of unsuspecting co-workers!
I have not figured out how to get the seeds out of the pulp so I can use the pulp in any other way. I have tried a jelly seive, a tea strainer, a juicing machine and just soaking them and making watery akebia juice.
Anybody else have any luck separating the juice and pulp?
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