We have a mature feijoa tree in our garden which bloomed beautiful, white, edible flowers through the summer and is now dropping fruits by the bucketload every day — and I’m not exaggerating. My mornings are spent gathering fallen feijoas, usually dozens scattered all over the ground. I’m surprised there are still any fruits left on the tree.
The feijoa (also known as pineapple guava or guavasteen) falls when ripe and is sweet-tart in flavor. It’s about the size of an egg and indeed feels like an Easter egg hunt each time I fish for feijoas hiding under our mulberry tree or in our succulent pots. My first bite reminded me of kiwi… somewhat gritty and sour, but the riper the fruit, the more tender and sweet the flesh becomes.
This is just from two days of harvesting dropped fruits!
Ooh! Those sound great! Where can I get a tree?
You can try a Google search for them if they’re not native to your climate; otherwise, check with a few local nurseries that specialize in fruit trees. They are pretty common in Southern California.
I am beginning to think that I live in a boring latitude. I never even heard of this fruit!
Hey Betty!
I have the same kind of guava tree in my yard. What do you do with all of the fruit?
Try my feijoa-white peach preserves: http://gardenbetty.com/2010/09/feijoa-white-peach-preserves/
You can also grill them and put them in a salad, make a chutney, roast with butter, or bake into a tart or pie!