Useful properties of feijoa

Feijoa sellowiana Berg.

Feijoa is an evergreen sprawling shrub of the myrtle
family with small elliptical silvery-gray leaves below, in the sinuses of which are solitary or inflorescences of pink flowers.

Branches of the plant are greyish-yellow, brittle. Leaves are small, opposite, solid, dense, leathery, shining from above and silvery-gray below. Blooms in June. Flowers axillary, solitary or 2-5, large, monoecious, four-lobed. Leaves are fleshy, sweetish, edible, white on the outside, inside is purple-pink. The number of stamens is 50-80, the pistil is one.

Fruit is an oval oblong or rounded multi-seeded berry. The flesh of the fruit is thick. Fruit weight - from 15 to 130 g. Pulp cream color, sourish-sweet, dense, with a pleasant smell. Feijoa is born from the 3rd-4th year of life. The seeds are very small.

Homeland-South America. On the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus feijoa was brought in at the end of the XIX century, and at the beginning of the XXth and on the southern coast of the Crimea. Industrial plantations are available in Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Crimea, and also in the subtropical regions of the Krasnodar Territory. This plant is suitable for growing and in room conditions.

A remarkable feature of feijoa berries is the presence in them of water-soluble iodine compounds( in 1 kg of fresh fruits - from 2-10 mg), due to which fruits are especially appreciated as a medicine for thyroid diseases and atherosclerosis.

In nature

Natural climatic conditions: dry subtropics.

It is often cultivated as a plant with edible fruits. In natural conditions - a tree, in the room - a bush;leaves opposite, leathery, glossy on top, greenish underneath, silvery gray;flowers single or in the corymbose inflorescences, white, numerous, fruit - berry.

Requirement for moisture: moderate glaze.

Temperature: good tolerates low temperatures.

Light mode: light-loving plant.

The requirement for soil: the optimum soil mixture from soddy, humus and peat lands with sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 1 is optimal.

Reproduction: by seeds, semi-aged cuttings, layers, root siblings, grafting.

Features: Cutting is required to form the crown. To obtain fruits, artificial pollination is necessary.

Growing room

It is widely used in landscaping of rooms, balconies and especially winter gardens, where it reaches no more than 0.8-1 m height.

Leaves are oval in shape, tender green on the upper side and silvery-gray, pubescent on the lower side. Flowers are red or pink. Flowering is long( May - June).

The main advantage of this plant is the roundish fruits of bright green color, unique in taste and aroma, ripening in November. Their average mass reaches 30-50 g. The aroma and taste of them resembles strawberries and pineapple.

♦ Location of . In winter, the plant is best kept in a cool light room, with a temperature of 8-12 ° C or in a winter garden with a temperature of 20-25 ° C and an air humidity of 80-85%.In summer it is good to take out in the garden or on the balcony.

♦ Care. The soil conditions of feijoa are not exacting, a common floral substrate is suitable. In the first 2-3 years, in connection with the active growth of the root system, the transplant should be performed annually. When transplanting, it is essential to keep the soil lump and plant not to depress. Subsequent transplantation should be done once every 3 years.

The best substrate for the cultivation of feijoa is the medium-alkaline universal floral primer "Azalea".

In summer, watering is abundant, in winter - moderate. Feijoa is very demanding for top dressing during flowering and fruit setting. Therefore, we recommend that once a month, from April to September, use the universal dressing "Flower" or liquid concentrated fertilizer "Rainbow".

In hot weather, once a day, plants are sprayed with water at room temperature.

♦ Pests and diseases - the most common pests are scabbards, worms, and from diseases - gray rot and leaf blotch.

♦ Reproduction - by seeds. Seed sowing is carried out in January - March to a depth of 0.3 - 0.5 mm. The first shoots at substrate temperature 20 - 25 ° C appear after 2 weeks.

Application in Cooking

Feijoa fruits are used fresh, and also they make a unique jam, juices, jams, and wines. Fine liqueurs are obtained from flower petals.

Feijoa rubbed with sugar

Feijoa fruits are passed through a meat grinder, sugar is added to the mass, at the rate of 1 kg of fruit - 1.2 kg of sugar.

Feijoa salad

On the islands of New Zealand, of the fruits of feijoa, prepare the original salad by slices and add walnuts and mayonnaise, the resulting mass is spread on lettuce leaves, sprinkled with grated cheese on top.

The benefits of

The high content of vitamins P, C, B, E, biologically active substances, and also easily digestible human iodine( 15-30 mg%) is a distinctive and very valuable quality of feijoa fruits. Thanks to this, feijoa is also a medicinal plant. Especially useful are the fruits of feijoa in diseases of the thyroid gland, atherosclerosis in old age, hypertension.

Fruits are eaten fresh and processed. Of these, jam, jelly, marmalade, compotes, tinctures, liqueurs are prepared. Very tasty and useful raw jam( minced fruit mixed with sugar).Transfer to a glass, tightly closed dishes and store in a refrigerator. There are at least 2-3 times a day before meals for 1-3 tablespoons a day. Good feijoa and just fresh. It contains iodine, sugar, organic acids, vitamins, pectin, essential oil. Feijoa contains a lot of iron and is therefore indicated in iron deficiency anemia.

Feijoa is especially recommended for elderly people, because such a disease as atherosclerosis, at this time often begins to gain strength. Here is one of the effective prescriptions for atherosclerosis: to pass through a meat grinder 2 lemons and 500 g feijoa, add 1 cup of honey. Take 1 hour after eating 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.

In case of increased fatigue, poor memory, weakening of attention, the following composition helps a lot: 1 cup of walnuts, 300 g of feijoa pass through a meat grinder and add 1/2 cup of honey. Take as desired as you fatigue before starting mental work.

With bronchitis, mix the flesh with 200 g of feijoa, 1 lemon, 100 g of cranberry, 100 g of viburnum, add 1 kg of sugar or 1.5 cups of honey. It turns out a tasty, fragrant, healing remedy. Take 1-2 tablespoons 5-6 times a day. It can be added as a jam in the infusion of medicinal herbs, especially if it contains unpleasant, bitter herbs.

With thyroid disease: grind 3 lemons, 1 grapefruit, 2 oranges, 2 tangerines, 500 g of feijoa and add 1 cup of honey. Take 1 tablespoon minutes for 15-20 before meals.