About Lilly Pillys
Lilly Pillys are an Australian Native Fruiting tree, which are very commonly used as hedge plants but also have amazing flowers. It’s a good idea to not hedge them over Autumn to allow them to flower, which will allow them to fruit. After you collect the Lilly Pilly berries in winter, you can hedge them back to a nice shape. There are many kinds of Lilly Pilly; the fruits of all species are edible, although some taste better than others. In the Edible Forest, we grow Syzygium Australae, or Lilly Pilly Pinnacle, which we grow for their architectural shape and that don’t require hedging. Another popular variety is Syzygium Smithii, which has a purple fruit that tastes like crisp apple when ripe.
Lilly Pilly fruit are very high in Vitamin C and can be eaten fresh from the tree or used to make jams, cordials and sauces.
Recipe
Courtesy of John, head chef at Yarra Valley Estate we hope you enjoy this recipe:
Lilly Pilly Jelly
Ingredients:
2 Cups washed Lilly Pilly Berries
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Castor Sugar
Juice of 2 Lemons
Method:
- Place washed berries in pot and cover with water. Boil for 1 hour.
- Strain berries through coffee filter or cheese cloth into a saucepan
- Mix 1 cup of water with 1 cup of Castor Sugar and add to the saucepan
- Add the juice of 2 lemons to the saucepan
- Bring to the boil & simmer till the sugar dissolves
- Test the jelly by placing a small amount of jelly onto a cold saucer and shake to see if wrinkles appear
- When ready, place the jelly into sterilized jars
