Editorial: Ubiquitous gem on the landscape

Mark Story.

Nothing heralds autumn like the modest feijoa.

A native of Brazil, the vitamin-c powerhouse is a ubiquitous gem on the suburban landscape.

So much so that it's become currency.

They're traded, swapped, gifted as koha and brought to work for public consumption.

But, like all currency, if there's a glut then deflation kicks in and purchasing power falls. Which is why the bag left on my doorstep will be added to the seven other bags I have inside - each in a different stage of perishment. It's also why we heartlessly puree them with the lawnmower, squash them underfoot on the way to the dairy and scoff at the price per kilogram in the supermarket.

Some argue it's taken too well to this soil. Through no fault of its own, it has an image problem.

Maligned as common, gritty and inelegant, bandied about as cheap and easy, it's become the runt of the botanical litter.

Yet it deserves a more charitable reception. It's become a naturalised New Zealand citizen.

I'm partial to the fruit for many reasons - not least of which because my girls delight in rendering it into icecream, while at night the soft percussion of it dropping on the neighbour's garden shed has become April's soundtrack.

Not just a delicious medley of pineapple, apple and mint, the fruit is a social lubricant and gateway crop for neighbourhood conversations.

This week we've run stories signalling another "who has the biggest" joey series.

So, while they're not official legal tender, get your scales out and let's see who comes up with the heaviest of our adopted, aromatic greenbacks.