This feijoa syrup is an delicious and creative way to use left over feijoa skin from other recipes. Makes a refreshing drink or an aromatic cocktail!
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Ah feijoas. Loved by many and utterly ubiquitous in my husband's home county of New Zealand. During feijoa season from March to May they are available in abundance from neighbors, shops and friends and family.
Which leaves people looking for lots of interesting and creative ways to use feijoas. A few recipes such as my feijoa chutney uses whole fruit. But most recipes such as my feijoa muffins and and feijoa loaf uses the scooped out flesh. Which can leave you with a whole lot of feijoa skins and wondering what to do with them. This feijoa syrup is one delicious option. Feijoa skins are still full of aromatic oils and flavors but they can be a little bitter if you eat them raw. Simmering them with sugar and water helps mellow the bitterness and leaves you with a refreshing and tasty drink.
Looking for more tasty feijoa recipes? Check out my full collection of feijoa recipes including everything from chutney and muffins to crumble and cake.
Ingredients
Feijoa skins: this recipe uses feijoa skins that have already had the flesh scooped out of them. I used about three tightly packed cups of skins, or 750gms. If you don't have enough left over skins from another recipe you can half the recipe, or freeze the skins and top them up until you have enough.
Sugar: some sugar is essential to balance the bitterness of the feijoa skins. I used white sugar in this recipe but you could experiment with brown or other sugar.
Lime juice: a little freshly squeezed lime juice at the end helps balance the sweetness and enhance the natural tang of the feijoas. You could try using lemon or other citrus to.
Water: an essential ingredient to make this syrup. Regular tap water is fine, provided it drinkable where you are.
How to make feijoa syrup
Cut the flower tips off the end of the skins and roughly chop into pieces. Add the water and sugar to a large pot. Bring to the boil and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
Reduce to a simmer. Add the chopped up feijoa skins and mix well. Cover with a lid and simmer for thirty minutes. Any more than this I find you start to get a more pronounced bitter taste from the skins.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Add the lime juice and strain out the skins. Transfer to a storage container and chill until needed.
How to serve
To serve pour into a glass, add some ice and top with still or or sparkling water. I find about ¼ syrup, ¾ water is a good strength, but you can make more or less syrup to make it stronger or weaker as you prefer.
This syrup would also make a great basis for a feijoa cocktail. Try it with shot of vodka, a squeeze of lime and top with soda. Delicious!
How to store
This syrup will store well in a clear bottle or jar in the fridge for up to five days. You can also pour the syrup into ice cube trays and freeze for up to three months for a year round feijoa treat.
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📖 Recipe
Feijoa syrup
Ingredients
- 6 cups (750gms) tightly packed feijoa skins
- 2 cups (500mls) water
- 2 cups (440gms) white sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- If not already done so, cut the flower tips off the feijoa skins. Cut into pieces.
- Add the sugar and water to a pot and stir well.
- Add cut feijoa skins and stir well.
- Bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer, put a lid on the pot and simmer for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the lime juice. Strain through a fine sieve.
- To drink dilute one part with about 3 parts water, depending on how strong you like your drink.
- Store in a clean bottle in the fridge to up to five days or freeze in ice cubes for up to two months.
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Drew
my syrup looks brown.....not pink. did I do it wrong?
Sarah Brooks
Hi Drew,
No necessarily! Feijoas go brown really quickly, so as long as you started with good fruit and the skins looked good to start with it was probably fine.
My chutney feijoa chutney goes really brown for example when it's reduced down. Hope this helps.