feijoas

It seems that word has gotten around at Daniel's work that his wife likes to make jam. So Daniel came home the other night with a bag full of feijoas from a workmates backyard. I had a very vague idea of what they were, but had never seen them in person. In fact, I still don't know how to pronounce feijoa.

They can be eaten when ripe by cutting in two and spooning out the flesh. I found the fragrance a little overpowering though, but some people love it.

Once made into jam I can only describe the taste as being a little like pineapple. Here is the recipe I used. It is adapted from a Sally Wise recipe with my own twist.

  Feijoa Jam with Vanilla and Marsala

1 kg feijoa flesh, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup water

900g white sugar

1/4 cup marsala

1/2 vanilla bean

Add a little of the lemon juice to the feijoa while chopping as they tend to brown quickly. 

Place fiejoa, lemon juice and water in large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. 

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the sugar, marsala and scrape the vanilla bean in also. Add the scraped vanilla bean. Boil over medium heat for about 25 minutes until setting point is reached. To check if it is set, place a little on a plate and place in the fridge for a few minutes. If it is set on the saucer, then the jam has reached setting point.

Spoon into sterilized jars and seal.

Enjoy!