NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Eat Well / Food News

Produce report: March 20

Bite
By Suzanne Dale

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

Feijoas have arrived in stores and, despite heralding the cooler weather, it's hard to find a Kiwi who doesn't have a soft spot for the scented charms of these crumble dessert stars that came to New Zealand via South America in the 1920s. New varieties were developed here.

Feijoas will be with us until June and have good levels of dietary fibre and vitamin C — one fruit provides nearly one quarter of an adult’s daily needs.

Feijoas fall from the tree when ripe but if you don’t fancy yours bruised, picking them might be a better option. When buying, look for firm fruit with unblemished skin. Feijoas are perfect to eat when the jellied sections are clear. If brown or grey, they are over-ripe and if white, the fruit will need two or three days at room temperature to ripen. Afterwards, store in the fridge but use as soon as possible.

They freeze well too. Either cut them in half and scoop out the flesh (cup-sized quantities are helpful for later use in baking) or, if you would rather drink your feijoas, freeze the pulp or puree in ice cubes to turn into smoothies. But, if this all seems too hard and you have the shelf space, the fruit can be frozen whole; peel after defrosting.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

You'll find loads of recipes in these four collections: baking with feijoas, cooking with feijoas, feijoa jams and chutneys and feijoa desserts.

Meanwhile, see Geoff Scott's sticky coconut and feijoa muffin recipe, photographed here, to rekindle the love.

And while the weather's still warm, try this instant feijoa icecream from Nadia Lim.

Quinces are also making their annual appearance. They are high in vitamin C, zinc, potassium, copper and iron. Also in dietary fibre and antioxidants. Much too woody and astringent to be eaten raw, they have a perfumed apple/pear quality when poached and they cook beautifully in the slow cooker as Kathy Paterson shows here.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When you’ve eaten the poached fruit, don’t discard any precious juice left over. Try a little as a treat in a glass of bubbly or reduce it further to make a fragrant dessert sauce. You’ll find quinces at farmers’ markets, greengrocers and at stores like Farro.

While there, check out new-season celeriac to ring the changes. Select smaller celeriac roots as they are more tender and refrigerate in your vegetable crisper. One look gives it away — this gnarly beast is full of fibre. Peel it and use raw or lightly cooked in salads, or boil or microwave and mash. Celeriac can also be fried into chips. As the name suggests, celeriac is a mild-flavoured relative of celery.

Baby (lunchbox sized) galas and braeburns are the new arrivals on the apple front.

Look out for New Zealand walnuts, they are worlds away from those too-bitter imports we used to have to rely on. Walnuts should be stored in an airtight container in your fridge or freezer, whether shelled or unshelled. They are rich in omega-3 fats and contain high amounts of antioxidants.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest Recipes

Why Kiwis are cooking their stir-fries wrong - and how to fix it
Food News

Why Kiwis are cooking their stir-fries wrong - and how to fix it

09 Oct 09:00 PM
8 easy tricks to replace tonight's takeaway... that are cheaper and more delicious
Food News

8 easy tricks to replace tonight's takeaway... that are cheaper and more delicious

02 Oct 08:00 PM
Why Kiwis are cooking their sausages wrong – and how to fix it
Food News

Why Kiwis are cooking their sausages wrong – and how to fix it

25 Sep 09:00 PM
What expiry dates really mean – and other simple tricks to save money on groceries
Food News

What expiry dates really mean – and other simple tricks to save money on groceries

18 Sep 09:39 PM
Why your winter meals need these flavour-boosting tricks
Food News

Why your winter meals need these flavour-boosting tricks

22 Aug 11:00 PM
Why tinned tomatoes are the unsung hero of your pantry
Food News

Why tinned tomatoes are the unsung hero of your pantry

16 Aug 02:00 AM

Latest Food News

Why Kiwis are cooking their stir-fries wrong - and how to fix it
Food News

Why Kiwis are cooking their stir-fries wrong - and how to fix it

09 Oct 09:00 PM
8 easy tricks to replace tonight's takeaway... that are cheaper and more delicious
Food News

8 easy tricks to replace tonight's takeaway... that are cheaper and more delicious

02 Oct 08:00 PM
Why Kiwis are cooking their sausages wrong – and how to fix it
Food News

Why Kiwis are cooking their sausages wrong – and how to fix it

25 Sep 09:00 PM
What expiry dates really mean – and other simple tricks to save money on groceries
Food News

What expiry dates really mean – and other simple tricks to save money on groceries

18 Sep 09:39 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Food News

Why Kiwis are cooking their stir-fries wrong - and how to fix it
Food News

Why Kiwis are cooking their stir-fries wrong - and how to fix it

One dish. One problem. One fix.

09 Oct 09:00 PM
8 easy tricks to replace tonight's takeaway... that are cheaper and more delicious
Food News

8 easy tricks to replace tonight's takeaway... that are cheaper and more delicious

02 Oct 08:00 PM
Why Kiwis are cooking their sausages wrong – and how to fix it
Food News

Why Kiwis are cooking their sausages wrong – and how to fix it

25 Sep 09:00 PM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP