Guavas
A number of South American myrtle fruits can be successfully grown in our region, in particular near the coast, where temperatures are mild and water is abundant.
Related to true guavas, feijoas, guava berries, and luma berries are relatively unknown in the Pacific Northwest but have promise as fruiting plants for our region. All three plants share an aromatic, herbal note in their fruits.
Species
Feijoas
Feijoa (Acca sellowiana)
Ugni berries
Chilean guava (Ugni molinae)
‘Villarica’
Black Chilean guava (Ugni myricoides)
Luma berries
Luma (Amomyrtus luma)
Arráyan (Luma apiculata)
White arráyan (Luma chequen)
Guavas
Lemon guava (Psidium littorale)
Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum)
Feijoas
The feijoa (Acca sellowiana), also known as the pineapple guava, is not an actual guava, though it is closely related. Both feijoas and guavas are in the myrtle family.
Feijoas originate from the subtropical highlands of southeast Brazil down to Argentina. Their origins in the highlands are why they are better suited for cold temperatures than other subtropical plants, and are able to withstand temperatures as low as 5°F. Feijoas need full sun to produce well but don’t seem to mind having their roots shaded.
Feijoas are especially popular in New Zealand, which is a leading producer of the fruit. Many cultivars have been developed in the country. Another important market for feijoas is Russia and the Ukraine, which import feijoas from countries like Georgia and Azerbaijan.
In the US, they are rare. In Oregon, I only know of one farm that offers them (Vial Family Farms in Hillsboro, where there is a full-size, highly productive hedge), though I’ve seen a lot of happy feijoas planted as ornamentals in Portland. Most of our domestic feijoas are grown in California, but the Pacific Northwest is particularly well-suited for growing them. The plants don’t like hot summer weather and are said to produce superior fruit when grown in cooler areas. The Northwest Coast actually stands to be the best region for producing this fruit. In Portland, they ripen in late fall, from November to December.
Cooking with feijoas
Feijoas have a strongly aromatic flavor that is somewhere between a guava and a pear. The fruit is green, egg-shaped, and contains soft pulp that you can scoop out to eat. The flesh is tangy and sweet, with a pleasant texture and a slight grittiness similar to pears. The peels, too, are edible, but have the herbal, bitter edge that is found in many myrtle fruits.
Besides eating fresh, the fruit can also be cooked or made into jam. In Russia, it’s often seen as a soda flavor or “kompot” (a drink made with the cooked whole fruit).
Kept in cold storage, the fruit can be stored for about two weeks. Without refrigeration, it only stays good for a few days. Feijoas bruise easily, but bruised fruit can be cooked.
Feijoa flowers are edible; the fleshy petals can be eaten. They evolved to attract birds, who eat them as a reward for pollinating the plants. These petals can be removed without affecting fruit set. So far, I have found them to be light on flavor, but others say they have a light cinnamon taste. I’ll keep trying them.
Other myrtle fruit
There are other fruits commonly referred to as guavas that can be grown in our region.
Like feijoas, these are not true guavas, but related plants in the myrtle family. All of them are rare and difficult to find commercially, usually being planted in gardens.
Guava berries
The guava berry is a fruit from the myrtle family of plants. The plant is unfortunately not grown commercially in our region and is found mostly as a garden ornamental. It’s a shame since the flavor of the fruit is excellent. The fruit is produced commercially in Chile.
The standard variety of guava berry shrub or Chilean guava (Ugni molinae) found in nurseries is rated down to 18°F. Fortunately, however, horticulturist Paul Barney of Edulis Nursery collected a variety, ‘Villarica’, from upper elevations in Chile which is hardy down to 5°F, making this plant an excellent choice for most of the Northwest Coast and Northern California.
The small berries taste like a slightly mentholated strawberry. The resinous notes are the same as those found in related myrtle fruits, such as luma berries.
There’s a similar related species, the black Chilean guava (Ugni myricoides), which only known to be as hardy as the standard Chilean guava. I haven’t tried this one.
Luma berries
Luma berries are blueberry-shaped fruit from Luma apiculata, a tree in the myrtle family. The plant also originates in Chile and is often referred to as the Chilean myrtle. The fruit is sometimes called a blueberry guava. It’s hardy down to about 15°F when young, and down to 5°F when it gets older.
The flavor of the berries is pleasant and interesting. They’re sweet, with a noticeable mentholated flavor. I’ve found them growing on several trees in Portland, even producing well in fairly shaded positions. A similar, but slightly less cold-hardy species is the white Chilean myrtle (Luma chequen), though I haven’t tasted this one yet.
Guavas
True guavas are likely only viable in the Northern California region, in areas where temperatures don’t go below 20°F during a cold spell.
There are two related species with greater hardiness, the lemon guava (Psidium littorale) and the strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum). I know both of these can do well in the Bay Area, but so far I haven’t been able to determine if they can succeed further north.
