Benefits of feijoa

If you walked blindfolded through my orchard here in San Diego during late autumn, you wouldn’t need a map to find the feijoa bushes. You would simply follow your nose. The aroma is intense—a complex perfume of strawberry, pineapple, and gardenia that hangs heavy in our coastal air. While many Americans are still puzzled by this green, egg-shaped fruit, those of us in the know prize it as one of the most rewarding crops for our Mediterranean climate.

Alexander Mitchell

I have spent the last decade perfecting the art of growing Acca sellowiana, commonly known as the Pineapple Guava or Guavasteen. It is not actually a guava, but a member of the myrtle family, hailing originally from the highlands of southern Brazil and northern Argentina.

Here at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables, we’ve found that this plant is the perfect “gateway drug” for gardeners looking to move beyond lemons and tomatoes into something more exotic yet surprisingly resilient.

The Flavor Profile: A Fruit Salad in One Bite

Describing the taste of a feijoa is like trying to explain a sunset to someone who has never seen color. It is tart, sweet, gritty, and floral all at once. Imagine the texture of a pear near the skin, transitioning to a jelly-like center that resembles a kiwi, but with a flavor that hits notes of pineapple, strawberry, and a hint of mint. It is a flavor bomb.

Ever wonder why supermarket fruit tastes so one-dimensional compared to what you grow in your backyard?

The answer lies in the volatile compounds—specifically esters like methyl benzoate—that dissipate rapidly after harvest. This is why you rarely see fresh feijoas in big-box stores; their shelf life is roughly 5 to 7 days before the flavor profile degrades. When you grow them yourself, you get the full symphony.

Nutritional Powerhouse

Beyond the taste, these little green grenades are packed with nutritional benefits. A mere 100 grams of fruit provides about 33mg of Vitamin C, which is roughly 40% of your daily requirement. But the real secret weapon here is the iodine content.

Feijoas are among the rare land-based plants that contain significant amounts of iodine, typically found in seafood. This makes them exceptionally beneficial for thyroid health and metabolism regulation.

I often tell my customers that eating feijoas is like taking a natural multivitamin. The high fiber content—about 6 grams per cup—regulates digestion better than most commercial supplements. I used to struggle with sluggish digestion during our busy harvest seasons until I started eating two fresh feijoas with my morning coffee.

Growing Feijoas in San Diego Soil

Our San Diego climate, specifically Zones 9 and 10, is arguably better for feijoas than their native South American habitat because we lack the humid rot that plagues the tropics. However, our heavy clay soil and lack of summer rain present specific challenges.

I made a massive mistake when I planted my first row of ‘Coolidge’ variety bushes. I treated them like succulents, assuming their thick, leathery leaves meant they didn’t need water. I ended up with marble-sized, bitter fruit that fell off in August. Feijoas are drought-tolerant only when surviving, not when producing fruit; they need 5-7 gallons of water weekly per bush during fruit set (July-September).

Do not plant feijoas in alkaline soil with a pH above 7.5 without amending it first. They will suffer from iron chlorosis (yellowing leaves) and struggle to thrive.

To fix our alkaline clay, I amend the planting hole with 30% peat moss and add a pound of sulfur twice a year. It acts like a battery acid adjustment for the soil, unlocking nutrients the plant couldn’t otherwise access.

The Pollination Puzzle

Why do so many people have feijoa hedges that bloom beautifully but never produce a single fruit? The answer is usually pollination. While varieties like ‘Coolidge’ are self-fertile, cross-pollination dramatically increases yield and fruit size. Our experience at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables has shown that planting a ‘Nazemetz’ next to a ‘Mammoth’ increases the harvest weight by nearly 40%.

Here is my proven step-by-step method for a bumper crop:

1. Site Selection: Choose a spot that gets at least 6 hours of direct sun. In East County San Diego, afternoon shade is beneficial to prevent leaf scorch.
2. Planting: Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball. Mix your native soil 50/50 with compost. Plant slightly high, leaving the top inch of the root ball exposed to prevent collar rot.
3. Mulching: Apply a 3-inch layer of wood chips. This keeps the roots cool and mimics the forest floor of the Brazilian highlands.
4. Feeding: Apply a balanced 8-8-8 fertilizer in February, May, and July. Stop feeding after August to prevent new growth that will get nipped by winter chill.
5. Pruning: Prune lightly after harvest. Think of pruning like a haircut—just trim the tips to encourage branching, as fruit forms on current year’s growth.

The petals of the feijoa flower are edible and taste like cotton candy spiced with cinnamon. Birds love them, and eating the petals actually helps pollination by exposing the stigma!

Harvesting: The Gravity Test

This is where 90% of home growers fail. They see a big green fruit, get impatient, and yank it off the branch. Never pick a feijoa from the bush; if you have to pull, it is not ready and will never ripen properly. The plant knows when the fruit is perfect. It cuts the flow of nutrients, and gravity does the rest.

I walk my rows every morning starting in late September. I look for fruit on the ground. Once collected, the fruit needs to “cure” on the kitchen counter for 2 to 3 days until it yields slightly to thumb pressure, similar to a ripe avocado. If you eat it immediately off the ground, the starches haven’t fully converted to sugars yet.

Culinary Uses: Beyond the Spoon

The traditional way to eat a feijoa is to slice it in half equatorially and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. But if you stop there, you are missing out on its versatility. The high pectin content makes it a natural candidate for jams and jellies without needing to add boxed pectin.

We at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables believe in using the whole harvest. I turn my “seconds”—the bruised or small fruits—into a spicy feijoa salsa that pairs perfectly with fish tacos. The tartness cuts through the fat of the fish better than lime juice.

Here are my favorite ways to utilize a large harvest:

• Feijoa Chutney: Simmer chopped fruit with onions, ginger, and vinegar. Excellent with pork chops.
• Smoothie Base: Freeze the scooped pulp in ice cube trays. It adds a creamy texture and tropical flavor to green smoothies.
• Infused Vodka: Steep the skins (washed thoroughly) in vodka for two weeks for a fragrant cocktail base.
• Baking: Substitute feijoa pulp for bananas in banana bread recipes for a moist, floral loaf.

My absolute favorite recipe is a simple Feijoa Crumble. The acidity of the fruit balances the sweetness of the brown sugar topping in a way apples simply can’t compete with.

I recall one season where we had a heatwave in October that caused 200 pounds of fruit to drop in three days. I was drowning in feijoas. I started dehydrating slices, skin and all. The drying process tamed the bitterness of the skin and turned them into chewy, sweet-tart snacks. Now, I purposely save 50 pounds a year just for the dehydrator.

The Environmental Bonus

What really makes the feijoa a winner for the San Diego homeowner is its utility as a landscape plant. It is evergreen, has beautiful silver-backed leaves, and produces showy red and white flowers. It acts as a stunning privacy screen that also feeds you.

Unlike deciduous fruit trees that look like sticks for three months of the year, the feijoa maintains its structure. It is also remarkably resistant to pests. In all my years farming, I have never had to spray my feijoas for aphids or scale. The only real enemy is the squirrel, who unfortunately loves the fruit as much as I do.

Watch out for the “mummy berry” syndrome where fruit turns hard and brown on the inside. This is usually caused by inconsistent watering during the heat of summer. Consistency is key!

If you are looking for a plant that gives back more than it takes, this is it. It asks for very little—just decent drainage and a drink during the summer heat—and in return, it gives you shade, beauty, and buckets of fruit that you cannot buy in any store.

Final Thoughts

Growing Acca sellowiana is a journey of patience and sensory delight. It connects you to the rhythm of the seasons in a way that buying fruit from a fluorescent-lit aisle never can. There is a specific joy in hearing the thud of a ripe fruit hitting the mulch, signaling that breakfast is ready.

Emily Rodriguez

What's the real secret to success? It's understanding that this plant is a living system, not a factory. Treat the soil like a bank account—deposit nutrients and water regularly, and the interest payments will come in the form of emerald-green deliciousness.

So, grab a shovel and get digging. Your future self, standing in a garden that smells like a tropical paradise, will thank you. The best time to plant a feijoa was five years ago; the second-best time is this weekend.