Passion fruit cups

                             Passion fruit cups after 5 days of sun drying

Who is not passionate about passion fruit? They are so yummy when added to yogurt, ice-creams and smoothies and it is equally delicious when eaten on its own.Passion fruit seeds are edible to eat and provides that added delicious crunch.It is not very sweet like other fruits but it is very aromatic and is a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Carotene.

Passion fruits are in season now and my local vegetable grocer stocks it. My daughter loves to eat passion fruit everyday.

Passion fruit is good for skin also. I thought "Why not use the outer skin of passion fruit for something good ?" After the inner content of the fruits were eaten with a spoon, I washed it thoroughly and removed the excess moisture with a paper towel and left it to dry on a plate near the windowsill. The natural sunlight will help in drying the skin. I did not want to keep the cups under direct sunlight outside as the skin will shrivel quickly. The skin will also lose its natural aroma quickly when left it to dry under direct sunlight.

Look at the passion fruit cups in the photo. I want to share some ideas on how to use these lovely beauties apart from the skin care recipe I am about to share with you.

The photo of the cups is taken after five days of drying near the window sill. I had a brainwave to use the cups in few different ways -

1. I used the cups as mini disposable cups to serve dipping sauces to go well with the crackers/ fritters or any snacks you make. The skin is non-permeable and the sauce kept  in them will look just pretty. When you serve the sauce in them to your guests, they will be amazed at how eco-friendly and creative you are!

2. You can use the dry un-shriveled cups as a tea-light candle. It is wax-free and very environmental friendly. All you need is 1 to 2 tsp of gingely oil and 3 cm wick made with cotton. The "Diya"/ lamp will burn as long the oil remains in the cup.

                                     Diya made from Passion fruit cup

3. Skin care recipe using powdered passion fruit outer skin:

I am waiting for my passion fruit outer skin to dry fully so that I can powder it to a very fine consistency and use it as an natural additive to my face scrub. I will update this post with a photo of the passion fruit powder I am planning to make in a few days time.

Enjoy using your passion fruit cups at home and do share your tips and ideas on how to use passion fruit cups for different purposes in this posting.

Until then, Bye from PetalDew - from Nature with love.