We’ve planted quite a few Feijoa bushes at Homeland, although they seem very slow in growing big enough to start bearing. However, just over the fence at Dreamland, literally within view from the Homeland gate, we inherited four average sized bushes that have had great fruit this autumn.

So, Feijoa (Acca sellowiana) is a densely-branched, evergreen shrub or small tree with a very dense, rounded crown; it can grow 3 – 7.5 metres tall (well, that will take a while in our area).  It comes from the highlands of southern Brazil, parts of Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay and northern Argentina. The fruit is also called the ‘pineapple guava’ or ‘guavasteen’.

The fruit matures in autumn and is green, and about the size and shape of an egg. It has a sweet, aromatic flavour. The flesh is juicy. The fruit drops when ripe, but can be picked from the tree before to prevent bruising. We generally leave them to drop and then pick them up – our bushes aren’t so tall (yet) that the drop would cause them to bruise.

Funnily enough, ours grow right in the prime chook area – in fact the Scot Grey and Wyandotte hens love to hide beneath the Feijoa bushes, but as yet, we haven’t seen them eat any of it. Just as well!

Although we’ve had a few raw, we generally prefer them in some cooked or baked form. Patricia has used them very successfully in a type of chutney together with tomatillos and fried green tomatoes.  The Feijoas ripen conveniently in the same season as the apples, so from our last harvest, she made a delicious apple and Feijoa baked crumble. Yum!!

Apple and Feijoa crumble under construction