Food Waste? Yeah, Nah.

There’s something about feijoa season that feels a bit like a race against time.

We were gifted a box full of feijoas on the weekend. Beautifully delicious and ready to eat. There’s the key right there though. They were ready to eat. Before we could even make a dent in them, they had begun to overripen. Getting the spots on them that you know are going to cause the kids to turn their nose up.

This year, instead of feeling overwhelmed by it, I decided to try something different. Dehydration. Thanks to Jeff’s ‘Billtong’ stage, we had a dehydrator on the ready, so I was set with everything I needed.

And honestly? I wish I’d done it sooner.

Side note: Apparently you can dehydrate with an airfryer, too! I haven’t given that a go yet but would be interesting to try it out. The ‘Dehydrate’ function on my airfryer is set to 30mins at 60 degrees.

Making the most of what we’ve got

As a mum, I’m always thinking about how to stretch what we have just that little bit further. Groceries aren’t cheap, but we also have an abundance of fruit and vegetables grown on our own or neighbouring properties in Tapawera.

Dehydrating feels like one of those simple, practical wins.

It’s not fancy. It’s not complicated. But it works.

I sliced up a batch of feijoas today, popped them in the dehydrator (skins on) and let time do its thing.

Why skins on?

I kept the skins on on purpose, a slight bit of lazy justification. But it turns out a lot of the goodness sits just under (and in) the skin. According to my sources (Google), these are packed full of antioxidant goodness. So it felt a bit silly to throw that part away.

Plus, it saves time. No peeling, no fuss.

Win-win.

(hint: they are a bit bitter, so I sprinkled a teaspoon of sugar in the bowl before laying them out to be dehydrated. It’s a choice. A little goes a long way)

Future me says thanks

What I love most is knowing these will now last well beyond the feijoa season.

Instead of a short window of abundance followed by nothing, we’ll have jars of dried fruit ready to go. Perfect for lunchboxes, road trips, or those after-school times when everyone’s suddenly “starving”. Also.. I get to be one of ‘those mums’ who ‘made it myself’…and somehow feel less bad about the other rubbish the kids eat.

It’s one of those small shifts that makes a big difference over time.

Less waste. More value from what we already have. And one less thing to think about during a busy week.

Want to give it a go?

If this is something you’ve been curious about, we’ve got a Dehydrating Workshop coming up, and you’re warmly invited!

You don’t need anything fancy. Just an interest in making food go further and a willingness to give it a try.

Some locals are sharing simple techniques, ideas, and real-life ways to make dehydration work in your home. Light refreshments will be available. Come along to learn more or just to enjoy the connection with others.