Now Forage

Olive: Harvest time depends on intended use: green olives (October, firm, very bitter — require curing); turning olives (November, red-purple, half-ripe — for oil or eating); black olives (December, fully ripe, shrivelling — sweeter, for oil). All must be cured before eating — never eat straight from the tree.

Papaya: Skin turns from green to yellow-orange starting at the base. Yields to gentle pressure. Sweet, floral aroma develops. Green papaya is eaten as a vegetable (unripe). Ripe fruit has orange flesh and black seeds inside.

Passionfruit: Purple varieties: skin wrinkles and turns deep purple. Yellow varieties: fully yellow and slightly heavy. Both are ripe when they fall freely. Wrinkled skin indicates riper, more aromatic flesh — not deterioration.