The Feijoa Affair...

"You like feijoas? We have plenty, please take as much as you can..." my friend asked. Without waiting for me to reply, he turned around and scooped a big bag for me. When you see feijoas, you will know that is a sure sign that autumn is here to stay. Originally a Brazilian native, feijoa trees grow in abundance and thrive very well in the subtropical climate of northern NZ. Every year without fail, my friends will give me bags of feijoas which they picked from their gardens because they can't eat them all.

On the outset, the feijoa fruit look like a miniature guava but the taste is different from a guava. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear jelly-like seed pulp and a firmer, slightly gritty opaque flesh nearer the skin. It is an aromatic fruit and gives a sweet smelling when ripe. When you cut the fruit, the flesh at the centre looked translucent and tasted sweet. However, they tend to have short shelf life. If you leave them in the room temperature, you must eat them within a few days otherwise they will get rotten..

When you pick the fruit, make sure there are no holes on the surface. If you find a hole, you might as well dispose it because the fruit has been infested with worms. There were several times when I unwittingly cut open the fruits without checking and I got nasty surprises. (Picture the worms poking out from the flesh of the fruit like the Alien movie...YUCK!)

Normally, feijoas are eaten raw. But they can be cooked and used in muffin, salads, jam, chutney and even wine. I tried the feijoa wine a few times but sad to say it does not tantalise my taste buds. I prefer to eat it raw or baked as a muffin.

Here's the recipe for the feijoa muffin (serves 12):-

Ingredients

• 225g flour
  
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 125g sugar
  
• pinch salt
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
  
• 200ml milk
  
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
  
• 1 cup peeled and chopped feijoa
  
• 120g cream cheese

Topping

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/2 cup walnut or pecans, chopped

Method

• Preheat oven to 200 C
  
• Sieve flour,mixed spice, baking powder and sugar into a bowl.
  
• Lightly whisk egg and combine with butter and milk.
  
• Pour liquid and feijoa pulp into dry ingredients and mix very gently just to combine.
  
• Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake for 10-15 minutes until muffins spring back when gently pressed

P.S. Apparently there is a NZ website that provides a resource for professional feijoa growers too.