I LOVE feijoa – the smell, the taste and the convenience of having a tree absolutely laden and ready at my disposal….for the month-long harvest that is. Now time to stock up on Feijoa Chutney so I can enjoy it year round!
Skin On Feijoa Recipes
The best thing about this recipe is that it’s made with skins-on, saving the hassle and time in preparing an otherwise fiddly relish. In fact, while it is a ‘soak overnight’ recipe, the rest is very simple. Once you put everything in the blender, skins and all, it pulps up similar to a freshly made batch of guacamole! The colours are outstanding: green feijoa, red onion, yellow lemons. It’s a shame they will all simmer down to a reddy-brown at the end, but the process is eye candy all the same.
As the skins cook slowly they dissolve into the chutney. This recipe can also be roasted, although I like the idea of a stove top saucepan I can stir every now and then! I cooked it using the stove method and it was great, especially near the end when it thickens and you need to keep a diligent stirring arm handy so it doesn’t stick or burn.
Skin-on Feijoa Chutney
Ingredients:
- 1kg ripe feijoa (approx 35 feijoa, depending on the size of course)
- 2 large red onion
- 2 lemon
- 2 fresh red chilli
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
Method:
- The evening before, wash and pat dry feioa. Top feijoa to remove the flowery tip and slice in half. Put in the blender and pulp in batches until chunky. It is nice to have some texture so don’t puree it completely! Put into large container.
- Next peel the red onion and cut into big pieces, then into the blender. Again, pulp until chunky. Add to feijoa. Do the same with the lemon (skin on, but cut in half to discard the pips, and into quarters) then pulp until chunky. You’ll see what I mean about the delicious looking guacamole lookalike!
- De-seed the whole chillies, cut into chunks and add to the pulped fruit and veges. Finally add salt and cider vinegar, pour over the sugar, and stir. Leave covered at room temperature overnight.
- Next morning, stir through cardamon pods and fenugreek seeds, transfer to a large pot and simmer for several hours. Stir occasionally. As the mixture begins to reduce, be sure to stir more frequently so not to burn as it thickens. The whole process may take 2-3 hours. Best to stir with wooden spoon.
- Put into sterilised jars, seal and leave to set.
Makes approx 9-10 jars.
Rediscover more Feijoa recipes
Making my second batch in as many days, cant get enough of it, goes with everything! Cheers for recipe.
Hi Phil, go you! You are so welcome, and thanks so much for letting me know – I’m so glad you’ve found an easy chutney you enjoy. Happy preserving! >>Julie
Looking forward to trying this one be my fourth different chutney for all our feijoas , a quick double check 4 cups White sugar? Thanks for sharing
Hi Tania, yes I believe I used white sugar. Happy preserving! It sounds like you’ve had a bumper harvest. >>Julie
Hello, I’m new to making chutneys, and this is my first time having feijoa so thank you for this delicious sounding recipe. Your recipe states it makes about 9-10 jars– could you please say what size those jars are? I ask for 2 reasons– first we need to go purchase canning jars, and second, I’d like to understand how much I should expect the mixture to reduce. Thank you!
Hi Cassandra, this is indeed a tasty recipe so I hope it all goes well for you. Generally when it comes to working out how much a recipe will make (if I forget to write it down!) is I go by a generalised theory that 1kg of fruit (being the main ingredient) tends to make up 1 litre of relish, or so. In the photos I used small jars so that would be about 9-10 jars if I was using 100ml size. If you are able to recycle jam jars and lids from friends and family, this is a great way of saving money. Relishes when ready to can/bottle are at the consistency that you’d expect to use upon opening. Unlike jam that should set while cooling down due to the pectin and sugar, relishes don’t work that way. I hope that helps! Lovely to hear you are on your chutney-making journey! >>Julie
I used the slow cooker and it worked well. To thicken the mixture, I had the slow cooker on high and lifted the lid slightly using a fork. For the second batch I used cornflour. 6 heaped teaspoonfuls with some cooled liquid spooned off the top. Great recipe… Thank you
Hi Andrew, so happy to hear you’ve had a great result with your slow cooker. Thanks for sharing your method with us, and glad you enjoyed it! >>Julie
Wow, 1kg feijoa nowhere near 35 feijoas, my fruit must be on the large size 🤔, on the stove right now 😉
Yum…enjoy! Yes, feijoa size can vary…you must have a blessed tree, keep doing what you’re doing! >>Julie
Hi Julie
I also want to reduce the sugar, but saying that when your’re eating it and it’s delicious – “Sugar, what sugar 🙂 ?” I am going to substitute some Stevia powder and maybe use 1 cup of soft brown……..Will let you know. Fabulous to find a recipe with the skins on as my partner kindly picked up ALL small feijoas (which he doesn’t like) up the road – how kind :-/
Erica
Hi Erica, I will make a batch in a month or so (when my fruit ripens) with less sugar. In the meantime, if you are experimenting…remember that this recipe calls for skin-on which will be bitter, so the sugar helps to neutralize the flavour. Good luck >>Julie
Hi there. I’m keen to make this recipe.
I want to know how long the jars can be kept in the pantry for, before needing to be consumed.
Thank you.
Hi Molly, if the jars at hot and sterilised, and there are no air bubbles in the preserve (which you can de-bubble with a sterlised knife before sealing), it should last several years. The general food industry standard in NZ is two years, but that’s just a ‘best before’ date. As the years progress the contents may discolour slightly but it should all be edible. In saying this, always do a common sense test before consuming: if it looks good (no mould), smells as it should, the texture is as it was when you made it, and there is no rust on the inside of the lid, all is looking positive for consumption! Once opened, do keep in the fridge. Enjoy the feijoa season! My trees are always late to harvest…only just starting to fall now. >>Julie
Could you cook in a crockpot?
Hi Michelle, yes it should work OK in a crockpot although I haven’t tried it myself. Let me know how you go! Happy preserving. >>Julie
What is this good to eat with? Not do obvious given the ingredients but presumably with ham, eggs, cheese and toast???
Hi Patrick, oh yes! Absolutely. Fabulous with just about everything if you are a feijoa fan! If you get stuck for different ways to enjoy relish I have 25 great uses: https://rediscover.co.nz/25-delicious-ways-to-use-relish/. Enjoy >>Julie
Hi, is the 2 cups of sugar essential for setting or sweetness? I’m keen to cut down on sugar in chutney’s… Thank you
Hi Lois, the feijoa skins bring a natural bitterness to the chutney, so I would personally recommend sugar to balance that, yes. My recipe has 4 cups of sugar. In theory the vinegar acts as the preserver and by reducing the ingredients in the cooking process, it helps to thicken the chutney. The sugar is merely there to take away and bitterness and doesn’t have the same effect as sugar would in a jam (there to be a preserver, setting and texture maker). I say: go for it. Taste before your bottle and you’ll know what the result will be. Good luck! >>Julie
This recipe is outstanding. Amazing flavours coming through. I followed the cooking time exactly though the colour was not as vibrant as your photos, brownish like any chutney usual look like. Any secret to the colour?🤗🤔
Hi Cicilia, I’m delighted to hear that you are loving the recipe. I can’t recall doing anything different regarding the colour other than perhaps the lighting used for my photograph perhaps picked up the red tones. As long as it tastes delicious…right? Lovely to hear from you. >>Julie