Fruits / Garden of Eatin'

Feijoa Madness

Feijoa fruits

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!

Basket of feijoas

About Author

I'm a plant lover, passionate road-tripper, and cookbook author whose expert advice and bestselling books have been featured in TIME, Outside, HGTV, and Food & Wine. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook is my latest book. Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring—all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. After all, the secret to a good life is... Read more »

5 Comments

  • LaLa Ortiz
    April 18, 2017 at 12:10 am

    Ooh! Those sound great! Where can I get a tree?

    Reply
    • Linda from Garden Betty
      May 18, 2017 at 8:31 am

      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.

      Reply
  • Silly Little Sheep
    June 19, 2016 at 2:22 pm

    I am beginning to think that I live in a boring latitude. I never even heard of this fruit!

    Reply
  • Thecajunprincess
    August 24, 2012 at 2:49 pm

    Hey Betty! 

    I have the same kind of guava tree in my yard.  What do you do with all of the fruit? 

    Reply

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