In cool storage, undamaged fruits will remain in good condition for one month or longer. In France, fruits harvested in November and December have been kept till spring at a cool temperature and with sufficient humidity. In the early days of its introduction, feijoa shipments were successfully made from France to California despite being 30 days at sea. Today, air transport is essential for New Zealand feijoas en route to Europe. The shrub is remarkably pest-resistant.
Fruit flies attack the ripe fruits.
Food Uses When preparing feijoas for eating or preserving, peeling should be immediately followed by dipping into a weak salt solution or into water containing fresh lemon juice. Surplus fruits may be peeled, halved and preserved in sirup in glass jars, or sliced and crystallized, or made into chutney, jam, jelly, conserve, relish, sauce or sparkling wine. The thick petals are spicy and are eaten fresh by children and sometimes by adults. The petals may be plucked without interfering with fruit set. The fruit is rich in water-soluble iodine compounds.