Feijoa Facts

The feijoa was collected in southern Brazil by a German explorer Freidrich Sellow in 1815 and introduced to Europe by French botanist and horticulturist, Dr Edouard Andre, in 1890. It was named after Brazilian botanist, Joam da Silva Feijo.

Feijoas were introduced into New Zealand in the 1920`s.
New Zealand's ideal climate produced large fruit, and few pest enabled feijoa's to be grown organically (chemical sprays therefore are not applied to New Zealand fruit, making NZ feijoa's some of the most natural fruit available).
The New Zealand season runs from late March to June.

In some countries the feijoa is called "pineapple guava".

Recipe

Feijoas all year round!!!

You can freeze the feijoa no problem. 

Recipes use either pureed feijoa, diced and peeled, ( in 1 cm dices) and occasionally larger pieces.  I normally cut in half and then scoop the insides out, or you can peel them, and put into a plastic bag or container to freeze.  If puree is needed freeze them in ice cubes for recipes or drinks.  If you are in a real hurry (and have heaps of freezer space) you can freeze whole.   

A lot of recipes call for cups of chopped feijoas that could be in whole cup quantities or whole(s) plus a half.   I suggest if you have excess feijoas to freeze them in cup and half cup quantities. What I do is freeze them in containers then the next day I take them out of the container and put into a tightly sealed freezer bag.  This works well to get the right cooking quantities resulting in year-round feijoas. 

You may add a little lemon juice to help stop browning, this is optional.

Another suggestion to store raw feijoas for later use is...

Need;
half a cup of sugar,
half a cup of water,
One and a half teaspoons
custard powder,
2 tablespoons cold water,
One and a half to two cups of feijoa flesh and
2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

Bring sugar and water to the boil. Simmer for 1 min.
Stir in the custard powder mixed with cold water.
Cook, stirring for a few minutes, over a moderate heat.
Cool. When cold add feijoas.
To avoid browning add lemon juice to the surface.
Cover and refrigerate

For great recipes check out The Feijoa Recipe Book.

 

Flavour

The fruit has a very distinctive, aromatic flavour with
tropical overtones including pineapple and guava.
(in California, the fruit is known as "pineapple guava")

 

Consumer Information

Feijoas are ready to eat when slightly soft and when the jellied sections in the centre of the fruit are clear. Depending on the variety this may happen on the tree or within 2 -5 days of natural fruit drop. The fruit is unripe when the jellied sections are white and past its best when they are browning. (unpleasant flavours develop when browning occurs and the fruit should be discarded.) Handle the feijoas very gently - as you would ripe peaches. 

For information on the Pineapple Guava in the U.S.A. check out the California Rare Fruit Growers.

 

Nutritional Information

(per 100g of freshly picked fruit)
Vitamin C 30mg
Energy 190kJ (45 calories)
Dietary fibre 4g
Sugars 10g
Protein 0.5 to 1gm
Fat 0.3g

 

Where to buy your Pineapple Guava/Feijoa trees

We are researching links now to make this easier for you.

USA

buyplantsonline

Austrailia

New Zealand - most nurseys stock the feijoa.  Get local advice on the best variety for your area.  Apollo in NZ tends to be a later fruiting, but sweeter flavour.  It is the prefered table fruit.  For more info read "Feijoas - Origins, Cultivation and Uses" Thorp and Bieleski.  Published by David Bateman Ltd, Auckland, NZ.

 

Links

Visit our B&B Cottage in New Zealand and taste our feijoas!   www.dannevirkebnb.co.nz