Feijoa

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Feijoa

Postby ciderman_nz » Tue May 23, 2006 10:02 am

Has anybody seen this fruit growing in UK? I ask because I had never heard of it until I came here although it is a South American plant. It is frost resistant and needs a cold period to fruit. Our trees (bushes) have fruit falling now and they are beautiful to eat. The plant doesn't seem to have any problems looking after itself except for some heavy winter fertiliser high on nitrogen. No sprays and only pruning to stop it strangling you as you go past
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Postby Monsy » Tue May 23, 2006 11:06 am

I've looked it up. I've never seen one. It says it has a slightly gritty texture, I suppose if you didn't like it, you could put it on your face!
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Postby DaisyB » Tue May 23, 2006 4:32 pm

No and I never actually saw the fruit when we came to NZ Michael. I did drink some juice which was lovely. I'm surprised that it hasn't been canned or bottled for export as I understand the fruit itself doesn't travel well.
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Postby Emm » Tue May 23, 2006 5:57 pm

I can't even pronounce the name.

Sorry, never heard of it.
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Postby Rowan » Tue May 23, 2006 9:58 pm

Neityher had I ...until now. I'll keep an eye out for it now though.
Avoid the evil, and it will avoid thee.
Gaelic Proverb

Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit.
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Postby Granny Eve » Wed May 24, 2006 12:50 am

I have informed about 20 of my penfriends from various countries about feijoas. None of them had ever heard of them and it is a complete mystery to me why they are not grown anywhere else. They are tolerant of almost any conditions, fruit prolifically, are an excellent source of Vitamin C, and kids love em.
Last edited by Granny Eve on Wed May 24, 2006 12:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Granny Eve » Wed May 24, 2006 12:54 am

Image
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Postby ciderman_nz » Wed May 24, 2006 7:55 am

Thanks GE! I was going to photo some of mine and post but you've beaten me to it! Ours are delicious at the moment and very prolific.
How are you getting on in Hamilton by the way.
Ha! I just noticed that you got that pic from the Feijoa growers assoc! Why didn't I think of that! :mrgreen:
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Postby widget » Wed May 24, 2006 7:59 am

Usage
Feijoas respond well to pruning and can easily be shaped to any desired form. They make an excellent hedge. The sweet, fleshy white and purplish flower petals can be added to salads. Pluck them carefully and the fruits will still develop. The fruits have a delicious minty-pineapple flavor. Cut them in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. They will drop when ripe, but you can pick them sooner and let them ripen in the kitchen.

It appears that the feijoa is suffering a name change. Although in virtually every publication you read, this plant is Feijoa sellowiana but now it seems to officially be Acca sellowiana.

Location
The feijoa is native to subtropical Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina and southern Brazil.


This is all I can find out about it.
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Postby Granny Eve » Wed May 24, 2006 9:06 am

I had to nick the photo Michael because ours are all finished now. I made jam with the last of them a few days ago.
I grew up in Hamilton and left as a teenager vowing never to come back. Back then it was nothing more than a commercial centre for the satellite towns and I thought it had nothing going for it. But it is a different place altogether now. The Council does a great job with their services - the parks and gardens are superb and there is always something happening. I miss the tuis and wood pidgeons in the garden but otherwise it has been a wonderful move.
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Postby ciderman_nz » Wed May 24, 2006 9:51 am

GE, I used to travel down to Hamilton to play cricket against Hamilton High when I was at school- didn't think much of it as a town then but it's quite alive now. Great botanical gardens- went up to the Toy Fair last year at Claudlands and really enjoyed ourselves.
I think a lot of NZ towns have really blossomed in the last 20 years. I love Wellington too although I was an inhabitant of Auckland for all my secondary schooling and a few years after.
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Postby DaisyB » Fri May 26, 2006 6:25 pm

Michael, would it be worth ordering some of these seeds? Are they the correct ones?
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternsee ... na&cid=211
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Postby ciderman_nz » Fri May 26, 2006 8:07 pm

That's the one Daisy! I thought Chiltern seeds might have them! My son gets occasional stuff from them. Only thing that you might have to watch,(but they would know this) that some varieties need two trees to cross pollinate and others are self pollinating.
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Postby DaisyB » Fri May 26, 2006 8:39 pm

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Postby ciderman_nz » Fri May 26, 2006 8:51 pm

Here's another one that's got some info too. Apparantly, NZ, is the biggest exporter of this fruit, mostly to the US, sometimes known there as pineapple guava.
http://www.edible.co.nz/varieties/feijoa.htm
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