Let-Goa My Feijoa!

You may be saying: “What are those oval-shaped green things with little fronds on the ends?” They are called Feijoas. Anyone who knows Melanie, one of our superstar salespeople at The FruitGuys, knows that her favorite fruit is the Feijoa. She’s been asking me for the last three months when we are going to get Feijoas. Melanie lived in New Zealand. She claims that Feijoa’s in that region of the world grow in backyards and can get as large as a hand, if not larger.

My experience with California feijoas is that they tend to show up in slightly smaller sizes than: “the Feijoa who ate Finland.”

How to eat the Feijoa

The Feijoa is ready to eat when slightly soft and when the jellied sections in the center 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 it’s best when they are browning. (Unpleasant flavors develop when browning occurs, and the fruit should be discarded.) Handle the feijoas very gently, as you would ripe peaches. As you see in the picture above, you can cut them in half and scoop out the inside or even quarter and eat like an orange. Don’t eat the skin as it is unappealing (ha-ha).

Where are Feijoas from?

Feijoas were growing wildly in Southern Brazil when Europeans were first made aware of them. In 1815, a German explorer traveling in Brazil collected Feijoas. A French horticulturist then began to spread them throughout Europe. The Feijoa is named for the Brazilian botanist Joam da Silva Feijoa.

Enjoy and have a fruitful week! – Chris Mittelstaedt chiefbanana@fruitguys.com