Feijoas Poached in Ginger Syrup

Mum and I eagerly await the feijoa season, and they all seem to drop at the same time and since the feijoa season is short and sweet, it makes sense to capture the feijoas, bottling them so the unique flavour can be enjoyed throughout the year. We adore this lovely flavoured fruit and can’t stand to see feijoas going to waste on the ground, so make the most of them while they are around.

We enjoyed the flavours of the Feijoas Poached in Ginger Syrup for breakfast combined with other chopped fruit (apple, banana, fresh feijoas), and lemon yoghurt. The Feijoas in the ginger syrup are lovely combined with other fruit like this as it lifts the flavour content and every now and then there is a zing of ginger or a zing of lemon flavour.

Mum is trying not to collect too many recipes at the moment as her scrapbooks are full to overflowing, but she wanted to keep this recipe, so I think that says it all.

Mum didn’t have cardamom seeds, so used cardamom powder instead and this worked well.

Feijoas Poached in Ginger Syrup

Use firm fruit as fruit that is too ripe will turn to mush when simmering.

1 cup sugar

4 cups water

4cm x 1cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

½ teaspoon cardamom seeds

Zest of 2 lemons (removed with a zester)

30-40 large firm feijoas

Place sugar, water, ginger, cardamom seeds and lemon zest in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Peel feijoas thickly using a paring knife, removing all the skin and astringent green parts of the flesh. Place in a large bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent browning if they will be sitting more than a few minutes.

Cut feijoas in half, add to simmering syrup and poach for 5 minutes or until just tender. Skim off any scum and, using a slotted spoon, transfer feijoas to sterilised jars. Simmer remaining syrup until reduced by about half then pour over feijoas and seal. Alternatively, store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 3-4 small Agee jars.

This recipe is from New Zealand House & Garden magazine, (April 2014 issue, number 236, page 122).

For notes on how to sterilise and seal jars and for techniques about preserving, see my next blog.