feijoa art gallery #2

Tags

art, design, feijoa, illustrations, painting, photography

I’m a little obsessed with some of the artworks I discovered for my recent post feijoa art gallery #1, so I’m thrilled to share another series featuring feijoas or their beautiful flowers. Once again, copyright belongs to the artists and publishers – please visit the links for more information and more artworks. Enjoy.

Watercolour demonstration using pineapple guava, on Paint Draw Paint.

Paint Draw Paint

Three Feijoas by Irina Gronborg on West Coast Drawing.

Irina Gronborg, Three Feijoas

Chayote and Feijoas, ink and watercolour on paper, 2004, by Joe Linton from Handmade Ransom Notes [Joe Linton's Art Blog].

Joe Linton: Chayote and Feijoas

One of six fruit visuals in a design proposal by Pawel Adamek, UK graphic designer and illustrator.

Pawel Adamek: feijoa design

Illustrated Book Plate Illustration from Revue Horticole 1800s – Botanical Print – 11 – PINEAPPLE GUAVA, from Encore Editions Fine Art Prints.

Encore Editions: pineapple guava

Feijoa & Physalis (Lensbaby 2.0), photograph by Alex Edgar on Flickr.

Alex Edgar, Feijoa & Physalis

first blossom

Tags

blossom, feijoa

Here it is, my first feijoa flower of the year. Aren’t they lovely!

A bit breezy today but I’ll have another go tomorrow to get a sharper image.

feijoa & passionfruit jam

Tags

feijoa, jam, passionfruit

My journeys around the Internet take me to some truly glorious food blogs, created by passionate and gifted cooks, stylists, photographers and writers. One I keep coming back to – transfixed by her beautiful images – is Gourmet Recipes by Olga. She doesn’t have an ‘about page’… just exquisite recipe after exquisite recipe.

The cakes are divine artworks and her recipe for feijoa and passionfruit jam has been adopted as a family favourite. Do take a look around her site: she has a companion recipe for feijoa, pear and white wine jam along with the chocolate, feijoa and banana bundt cake featured here a while back, and also little chocolate cakes with feijoa mousse. Every photograph is wonderfully styled.

Photo: Gourmet Recipes

FEIJOA & PASSIONFRUIT JAM

Makes about two 300 ml jars

Ingredients

• 2 cups feijoa pulp (cut fruit in half and scoop out the contents with a spoon)
• 1½ cups of sugar
• 2 large passion fruit (pulp scooped out and mashed to separate juice and seeds)
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 100 ml water

Method

1. Scoop out the pulp from the feijoas.
2. Put pulp into a pot and add water.
3. Boil on medium heat until the pulp is soft (about 15 minutes). Stir occasionally. Use a potato masher to gently mash the fruit.
4. Add sugar, passion fruit pulp with seeds and stir until dissolved.
5. Bring to a rapid boil and continue to boil for about 20 minutes or until the mix reaches setting point, giving it the occasional stir.
6. Add vodka and stir to mix.
7. Pour into sterilized jars, seal and store in a cool place.

feijoa art gallery #1

Tags

artworks, design, feijoa, illustration, painting, photography

I guess this can be considered a virtual installation – a series of feijoa artworks united only by their subject matter. All copyright remains with the artists, of course. I think a number of these could easily grace my walls. Please visit the links if you like the images – at the time of writing, some still appear to be for sale. For more feijoa art, check out fejioa art gallery #2.

Feijoa Flower by Lyn Gosling. Acrylic.  From the website Paintings I Love.

Feijoa flower, acrylic, by Lyn Gosling

Fruit [2008] by Alan Doak. Acrylic. From his website www.thinman.co.nz.

Acrylic on canvas, by Thinman

This lovely watercolour and pencil by Jennifer Taranto was selected for exhibit in The Art of Botanical Illustration – Sixth Biennial Exhibition and Sale 2002 by the Melbourne Friends of the Royal Botanical Society.

Watercolour and pencil by Jennifer Taranto

A lovely sketch of feijoas by Tamisan Mio on DeviantART.

Tamisan Mio on Deviant Art

Sliced Feijoa, by Karl Braun, Oil on Jute, 60 x 90cm, from Braun Paintworks.

Karl Braun : Sliced Feijoa, 2001

Feijoas by David Moore on Chrysalis.

Feijoas by David Moore

Black and white photograph of the feijoa flower by Martin Sandburg / Swedish Goose on Flickr.

Macro photograph of Guavasteen by Swedish Goose on Flickr

There are a lot more so I’ll leave them for a second “gallery” post.

redesign coming up

Tags

note from me

I’ve decided to change the format and design of feijoa feijoa. I’m still perusing WordPress designs, oohing and ahhing over the premium templates, and wondering if it is time to migrate to my own domain. I feel going back to a standard blog template – where you can just scroll down through the latest posts and recipes – will make using the site easier and I just don’t like the really small font and the subtle (read invisible) hyperlinks anymore.

BUT I am not a web designer and I know there is a lot involved when you change these things. If the site suddenly disappears or looks horrific, then this is what I am up to. Bear with me. We’ll be back better and brighter and groovier in good time.

**UPDATE: I’ve decided to use this gorgeously elegant design from WordPress until I can find a web designer and migrate everything over to another site. That won’t be until next year due to other commitments. Hope you enjoy the Chateau theme… I think it’s very pretty and the links are much easier to find.

you can’t eat a feijoa on a jetski

Tags

entry, feijoa, jetski, quote, urban dictionary

You heard it first at Urban Dictionary.

feijoa :: urban dictionary

A small green fruit slightly resembling a kiwifruit, mostly eaten in New Zealand. Just about anything can be related back to feijoas if you try. In any case, they are very delicious.

You can’t eat a feijoa on a jetski.

feijoa & ginger chutney

Tags

chutney, feijoa, ginger

Here’s another great recipe from the New Zealand Listener. It’s described as “a savoury, aromatic chutney to serve with cheddar or cold meats”. Definitely on my ever-increasing list of new recipes to try next feijoa season.

FEIJOA & GINGER CHUTNEY

Makes 3-4 medium jars

Ingredients

• 2 large cups feijoas, peeled and chopped
• 2 apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• ½ cup seedless raisins
• 500ml cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup soft brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 50g crystallised ginger, sliced

Method

A savoury, aromatic chutney to serve with cheddar or cold meats.

1. Put the prepared feijoas, apples, onion and raisins with the vinegar and water in a large preserving pan.
2. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, spices and salt, stirring well as the sugar dissolves.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until the chutney is bubbling and thick. Add the crystallised ginger. Simmer a minute further.
4. Have sterilised jars ready, then ladle the hot chutney into the jars and cover immediately.
5. Leave for at least 2 weeks for the flavours to mature. Store in a dark dry place.

feijoa & lime muffins

Tags

feijoa, lime, muffins

According to the New Zealand Listener, these muffins “are quite tart, with all the fragrance of feijoas and a refreshing tang from the lime juice and zest”. I love that the lime zest is in the muffin mixture as well as in the sugary topping – double the tang!

FEIJOA & LIME MUFFINS

Makes about 10

Ingredients

• 3 juicy limes
• 60g butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 200g plain flour
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• 100g sugar
• 1 cup peeled and diced feijoas (about 6-8)

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place paper cup liners in a muffin pan.
2. Using a zester, take strips of zest from one of the limes and reserve for the top of the muffins. Finely grate the zest of the other 2 and squeeze the juice from all 3. Tip this into a large bowl with the melted butter and eggs. Whisk together until light and fluffy.
3. Sieve the flour with the baking powder and fold gently into the mixture with the sugar.
4. Finally, fold in the feijoas and fill the muffin cups three-quarters full.
5. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra sugar and the reserved zest.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.

42 Below feijoa vodka

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42 Below feijoa vodka

Any feijoa lover will be able to point you in the direction of a bottle of 42 Below feijoa vodka.

This and those feijoa hard boiled lollies are the standby of ex-pat Kiwis who can not locate their favourite fruit wherever in the world they may be. Sadly – or happily for my liver – I don’t drink anymore but if I did, a bottle of this would be number one on my list.

I can’t get enough of this particular advertising shot which just captures the essence of our favourite green little fruit.

Or this one. The link leads to a broken Russian site, so I am not entirely sure where this advert originates.

You can find out more about 42 Below and their award winning products over at 42 Below.

feijoas in red wine with a hint of star anise

Tags

feijoa, red wine, star anise

This recipe is credited to the New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association but comes from the Nelson Mail website on Stuff.co.nz. The article is called “the little green taste grenade” and captures the effect that feijoa’s unmistakable aroma and flavour have when they snaffle your senses.

FEIJOAS IN RED WINE WITH A HINT OF STAR ANISE

Ingredients

• 8 feijoas
• piece of lemon rind
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 star anise
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons flaked almonds

Method

1. Wash and peel feijoas and leave whole.
2. In the saucepan put the first measure of water, sugar, red wine, lemon rind and star anise. Heat gently until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
3. Add feijoas and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Take care not to overcook.
4. Arrange fruit in a serving bowl.
5. Strain the juice. Mix cornflour with water to form a smooth paste. Pour into the feijoa juice.
6. Return to the heat, stirring continuously until sauce thickens. Cook 1-2 minutes.
7. Serve with the fruit, sprinkled with almonds. Serve warm.