Make and Take: Passionfruit Liquer

Registration Requirements: Preregistration required.

Recommended Audience: This program is designed for adults.

Program Description: Wishing for summer? Take a mental trip to the beach as we celebrate one of Ohio’s tastes of the tropics, our very own native passionfruit, better known as “maypop.” Using our own frozen fruit, we’ll learn by doing as we show you how to tell when maypops are ripe, as well as how to process them into passionfruit liqueur.

Native passionfruit is an attractive perennial vine that’s good for wildlife and good for you. The large but intricate, other-worldly flowers of our native passionfruit, Passiflora incarnata, point to this species’ ancient tropical origins. As a native plant, it dies back to the ground each winter, resprouting the following spring anew. Once established, it stands up to our hot, dry Ohio summers, blooming for weeks in summer before dropping fruit through much of the fall. We’ll cover landscape applications for the plant, as well as growing tips (caution: it can spread).

Whether you’re a curious gardener or a foodie looking for a neat experience, this class is for you.

You’ll leave this class with:

A taste of “sunshine in your glass” passionfruit cocktail (TBD)
Light snacks
Your own jar of native passionfruit liqueur (you’ll add sugar and water at home; all told, the process takes 45 days…if you can wait that long)
Tips on growing, harvesting, processing, and using native passionfruit
Ready to grow native passionfruit starts (optional) and instructions
Is native passion fruit suitable for my yard? Yes, native passion fruit likes full sun and is a climber.

Caution: watch where you plant it, as it will spread by root suckers (by underground rhizomes).
Landscape applications: arbor, up a fence to make a screen.
What to Expect: This indoor class will be a blend of classroom instruction/cooking demo. One passionfruit liqueur starter kit and a passionfruit start (to grow) are included with each class registration.

This program is completely indoors.
Restrooms are available throughout the program.
Program runs rain or shine.
Where to Meet: Registered participants will meet at the Krippendorf Lodge at our Rowe Woods location. (4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, OH 45150)

Cost: Ticket fees include daily admission.