This is a lot of great info, I found some Maypops growing wild near by and have been watching the fruit for it to ripen for about a month now. For Texas here in this area it has not be the usual over 100 temps for this time of the year so but the rest of this month and next should be up there. According to all your great posts and info I have about another month for them to ripen up. Hopefully I can dig some up to transplant and get some younger shoots to plant on my property along the fence line. I also found so seeds for different varieties that I may try listed on Etsy one of which grows a fruit that appears to be at least double in size of the fruit that grows here wild with a red and purple flower. I definitely am going to try the tepid tea idea for germinating those seeds when I get them. Again thanks for all the helpful information.

Maypop fruit turns yellow as it ripens. The best way to tell is to wait for the fruit to drop from the vine. This is more or less true for most edible passiflora species.

"Passion fruit" is somewhat of a generic term for any fruit from a Passiflora, but is most commonly used for the commercially grown fruit from P. edulis. Maypops are closely related, and some taste similar to P. edulis when fully ripe. In order to taste a ripe one, you will need to let the fruit drop off the vine on its own. Don't pick it. After it falls off, let it sit in a cool dry spot indoors for a few days until the outside starts to wrinkle. At this stage, it should be as good as it will get. I find that most maypops have a "Hawaiian Punch" type of flavor, but also an unpleasant aftertaste.

First, I'm not clear about what you're seeing on the bottom of your fruits on the Beefsteak. If it's a dark leathery colored area that might have some crcaks in it, or even black in color, it's called BLossom End Rot ( BER), which is a physiological problem, not a disease, and if you go to the main forum, link at the top of this page and go to the FAQ area at the top there's a good blurb about BER. (1) Will the green fruit ripen once it is off the plant and how long does it take? Totally green fruits will not ropen up well. If it's the BER you're worried about that's a temporary condition and is usually seen on first fruits and goes away as the season progresses. (2) What could be the reason Beef variety was cracking and may have been infested where as the "Ace" variety was fine? Different varieties respond differently in terms of BER, some never, some a lot. (3) Is there any way to accelerate ripening without fruit becoming too big or staying on the plant for long Do you mean accelerating ripening while the fruits are still on the vine? Not that I know of and honestly, you really don't want to do that and again, if it's the BER you're concerned about you won't have to. Hope that helps. Carolyn