Fabulous Feijoas

The eagerly anticipated feijoa season is always fast and furious. They first appear on our trees in late March. In April they’re falling all over the pavement and your back lawn, and by May many of us are sick of the sight of them. Then it’s over for the rest of the year with not a feijoa to be found until the following March.

There are many different things you can do with your feijoas to preserve them so you can enjoy their unique taste all year long.

The easiest option is to stew them and then either bottle or freeze them. Stewed feijoas make the perfect topping for porridge and a welcome addition to any crumble.

If you have more time, try turning them into a paste or jam (recipe on the Love Food Hate Waste website). Similar to quince paste, feijoa paste can either be eaten as a sweet or as an accompaniment to cheese.

Once you’ve scooped out the flesh you will be left with a mountain of feijoa skins. Don’t throw them in the compost bin just yet – they’re perfect for flavouring cordial. This simple recipe makes a litre of feijoa cordial.

Feijoa Cordial

Ingredients: 12-14 feijoa skins 1 litre water Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon tartaric acid 600 gram sugar Method: To prepare the feijoa skins you can either grate them using a grater, zest them using a lemon peeler, or if you like their earthy taste, you can use the whole skin. Put the water and lemon juice into a large pot. Add the feijoa skins, tartaric acid and sugar. Stir to combine. Bring to the boil, simmer until sugar has dissolved (about five minutes). Strain the cordial through a fine sieve. Leave to cool then pour into sterile bottles. The cordial will last for up to two months.