Yum! So delicious with cold meat or on cheese platter, and a pretty addition to the picnic table, homemade Feijoa Jelly rocks.

This recipe is ‘skin on’ which makes for a no-fuss preserving. It’s also a great way to use those small feijoa which otherwise are finicky to scoop.

Sweet and delicious, fruit jellies are wonderful as you don’t need a recipe (yay)….you just need the method and calculation. So, while this recipe is based on 1.5kgs of feijoa, you can make a larger or smaller amount. The important bit is the sugar-to-syrup ratio: 3/4 cup of sugar to every 1 cup of syrup. The syrup is measured nearer the end of the process.

The process includes cooking the fruit in water, skin on. The juice is then strained from the skins and pulp, then sugar added and juice brought to the boil until setting point.

Here’s the result and how I made it.

Feijoa Jelly

Ingredients

• 1.5kg feijoa whole, skin on
• Water to cover
• Sugar (see method for calculation)

Method

1. Wash the whole feijoa. Cut away any spoiled skin and the ‘flower’ end (in case it has any hidden bugs lurking)!  Chop into small chunks and put in a large saucepan.
2. Cover the feijoa pieces with water – the actual measure of water is dependent on the amount of feijoa in your pot.
3. Bring slowly to the boil over then reduce heat and simmer for further 50-60 minutes (or until the pulp is soft).
4. Pour the stewed fruit into a muslin bag suspended over a clean bowl and drain for several hours. While tempting, don’t squeeze the fruit in the hope of extra syrup or the jelly will ‘cloud’ and the finished result not as vibrant.
5. Take the clear syrup and measure it out. Calculate the sugar based on 3/4 cup sugar for each 1 cup syrup. Add both to a clean saucepan and stirring well, cook over a medium heat.
6. Once the sugar has dissolved, raise to a rapid boil until setting point. You’ll see the colour change from a tepid pear-juice colour to a golden-syrup ruby-pink. You’ll know it when you see it transform before your eyes. It may take 60 minutes or so.
7. You’ll also start to see scum appear on the top (white, frothy, aerated and slightly discoloured). Scoop this off as you go…you don’t want this in your bottled jelly.
8.  Setting point is reached when is when the syrup is thick enough to pour from a teaspoon but the last dollops congeal into a more syrupy texture.
9. Take off the heat, remove any final traces of scum and preserve into your sterilised jars. Wipe the rim of the jars to remove any spills then seal with hot lids.