Cape Gooseberries

An erratic cropper, these plants self seed in different parts of the garden each year and I always hold my breath that the fruit will ripen before the cold weather stops the process!  This year the crop has been a beauty!

They die right off in winter and come up anywhere next spring!

I originally planted several seedlings bought from a church fair, and they have never re grown in the same place.  On the presumption that God knows where they best thrive, I just allow them to flop all over the tomatoes, pumpkins, beans or wherever they appear each year!

This year I've experimented with freezing the golden fruit - isn't it amazing?! - and they certainly have coped with a couple of weeks in the freezer.  I think the resulting golden globes will be fine defrosted naturally in the breakfast muesli in the winter!

They look like little Chinese lanterns hanging from the bushes and are sweet with just a little tang, if you know what I mean!

Feijoa time!

I only notice it's feijoa season when I see them on the lawn - as the feijoas ripen, they just fall off!
This year I'm going to try freezing the pulp, just scooped out with a spoon and sealed in a container, as they'll be great in muffins and other cookery later in the year.  I'll also see if the defrosted pulp is suitable to pop into muesli for breakfast!
They're delicious, with their own unique flavour!

I've got two trees, apparently necessary for pollination, but strangely only one produces fruit.  As they are fairly prolific, that's not a worry!

They produce lovely spiky red blossom, and are grown commercially in New Zealand.  For more detail check out this feijoa website.