Hey, you know that giant fuchsia you have growing in your garden? Did you know that the fruit is edible? It is! Some varieties taste better than others, so a little experimentation is in order. Fuchsia fruit enthusiasts (yes, such a community exists) prefer the fruit of Fuchsia splendens, a Central American species that can tolerate light frost and might even survive a hard frost, although it will probably die back to the ground. In hot climates, this and most other fuchsias require some shade to keep them from getting scorched.
Otherwise, all they need is rich soil, regular water, and a dose of acid-loving fertilizer from time to time.
Even the less flavorful fuchsia berries can still go into a simple syrup, where they will release an astonishing purple color. Even if you get no fuchsia flavor at all, you will amaze your friends if you shake up fuchsia simple syrup, vodka, and an orange or elderflower liqueur and pour everyone a freakishly purple drink.
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Books by Amy Stewart
The Drunken Botanist
In Aptos, where there is a native fog bank, there is a house we looked at once on a house hunt which had a backyard fullllll of fuchsias of all sorts and sizes, including one that had a tree-sized trunk and attendant canopy. Simply amazing yard, unworkable house, and I need more sun than that location got!