Does feijoa need to be cleaned and when is it better to do it?
The positive properties of an exotic green berry, which has an original taste and pleasant smell, can be distributed indefinitely. Everyone knows that feijoa contains so many useful components that many traditional fruits would envy him, but whether it is necessary to clean the product before use or processing is still a matter of debate.
In fact, it is everyone’s personal choice. The skin of feijoa does not contain any harmful substances, but it is very rich in antioxidants. True, according to the majority, its taste is quite specific without specialized processing, so they prefer to cut it off from fresh berries.
How to choose a quality product?
Despite the fact that in supermarkets fortified berries can be found all year round, it is best to buy it from the beginning of autumn to mid-winter. This period is distinguished not only by reasonable prices, but also by the high quality of feijoa. The processing or storage option must be considered in advance. In the refrigerator, in a week, the berry will begin to wrinkle and lose its specific aroma.
Before buying, you need to make sure the quality of the fruits, they must meet the following requirements:
- On the berry there should be no dents, cracks, dark spots or other marks that violate the uniformity of the skin.
- Mature and ready-to-eat feijoa cannot be too dense.
Tip: If you had to buy too dense, not ripened fruits, you need to bring them to the optimal state on their own. To do this, we lay them out on a horizontal surface at room temperature and leave them in this form for a couple of days without covering anything. The benefits from this will not decrease, but the risk of indigestion from eating low-quality berries will be significantly reduced.
- The peel of a quality product is a uniform green color, closer to a darker shade. The shape may be round or oval. Elongated fruits should not be too long, it is better to choose berries within 8-10 cm.
- The pulp of mature feijoa in the form of a dense light jelly with a pronounced pleasant aroma. A yellow hue is allowed, brown indicates that the fruit is overripe and not suitable for use.
You can eat not only the fruits of the bush, but also the petals of its flowers. They have a pronounced apple flavor and a sweet taste. The components can be added to fruit salads or fried like chips.
In what form can feijoa be consumed and how is it recommended to process it?
Only if you do not clean the product, you can get the maximum benefit from it. Those to whom the taste of the peel seems too specific can use only jelly-like flesh, but do not throw away the skin. It is better to dry and add to tea. The taste of the drink will not change, and the benefits in the form of antioxidants and aroma will be added.
In addition, feijoa can be used in one of the following ways:
- Salads. May be fruit and unsweetened. The ingredient only needs to be washed, remove particularly dense areas at the poles and cut into arbitrary slices. The option is suitable only for those who like to eat the berry with the skin, only the pulp in the dish will not look very aesthetically pleasing.
- Sauces. Feijoa, crushed in a blender, with the addition of sour cream, vegetable oil or your favorite spices will be a great addition to any meat dish.
- Garnish. Even in boiled form, the product retains its beneficial properties and delicate taste. It goes well with boiled vegetables, can be an addition to rice.
- The drinks. A fragrant fruit that combines notes of several of your favorite fruits at once can be an excellent base for lemonade, tea, fortified juice, healing tincture or compote. It is insisted, boiled, evaporated, passaged, used in pure form or combined with other components.
- A component of desserts. Feijoa can be used not only as a filling for pies, puffs and cakes, grated pulp of the product is often added directly to the dough, giving the usual dishes an exotic and pleasant taste.
- Do-it-yourself dessert. If you do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you need to chop fresh berries, sprinkle them with sugar and serve them as a snack for tea. Grated fruits will be an excellent gravy for ice cream.
One can not help but recall the feijoa jam. Contrary to popular belief, there are many cooking options. It is not even necessary to boil it, without heat treatment, the jam will retain the maximum amount of vitamins and antioxidants, however, the shelf life of such a product does not exceed 2 months. Candied fruits from exotic berries have an unusual taste. They turn out to be moderately sweet, fragrant and textural, becoming the perfect complement to any dessert.