With their highly perfumed flavour and firm texture, feijoas are ideal for bottling. The excessive amount of fruit on Sophie's tree, which was abundantly covered when we visited, usually finds its way to the preserving pan and into jars each year. Her recipe, which uses a light syrup and the over-flow method of bottling, is quick and simple to make. Sophie says when the tree is laden she can bottle up to half a dozen jars before breakfast or after dinner to avoid having to throw any away.

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 14-16 feijoas

Method

1. In a large saucepan bring the water and sugar to the boil. Peel the feijoas as lightly as possible and place into the hot syrup. Once all the fruit is added, bring to the boil for 1 minute.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fruit to sterilised preserving jars. Pour in sufficient syrup to cover the fruit and spill over the top of the jars. Place the inner-seal lids on top and tightly screw on the seal bands immediately.
3. The seal is complete once the inner seal is down and the feijoas can be turned upside-down without any syrup coming out. Once this happens the sealing bands can be removed. Wipe the jars clean with a damp cloth to remove any excess syrup. Store in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.