Feijoa season has kicked off in New Zealand and will run until June. The versatile fruit is a good source of vitamin C, according to New Zealand Nutrition foundation chief executive, Sarah Hanrahan.
New Zealand’s charitable trust, 5+ A Day, has been working to promote feijoa consumption to the national public, focusing on the convenience, availability and nutritional benefits of the locally-grown fruit.
The trust has promoted a number of recipes to encourage sweet and savoury consumption of the fruit, including a feijoa cake (pictured) and salsa.
“On the whole, people don’t eat enough fruit and there are enormous benefits to getting more into our diets,” Hanrahan said. “Feijoas add to the variety of what’s currently available, as well as being a good source of vitamin C, which supports our immune systems and also helps us absorb iron from non-meat sources such as leafy greens.
“As with all fruit and vegetables, variety is important, and feijoas are a great seasonal option, are well-liked and readily available.”
Hanrahan says the fruit, also known as pineapple guava in California, are one of the few that New Zealanders still tend to pick themselves and eat fresh.
“In the past, many people had lots of fruit trees in their backyards. Feijoa trees seem to be one of the few trees to still remain popular. For many, they’re a real taste of childhood.”
