Author Topic: What do you do with guavas?  (Read 10492 times)

Weboh

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What do you do with guavas?
« on: August 22, 2018, 10:33:22 AM »
I like the taste of guavas but they're really annoying to eat because of the seeds. Does cooking them make the seeds edible (or chewable, I guess I should say)? Do you have any guava recipes? I've noticed blending them doesn't really get rid of the seeds either.  Is there a variety of guavas with edible seeds?


Texastropicals

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2018, 12:45:40 PM »
Juice them

mangaba

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2018, 07:06:20 PM »
Guavas  have  pectin. By cooking them and passing through a strainer you can make guava jam. If you pass through a straining cloth you can make  guava jelly. You can get instructions on You Tube  or you contact me.
 In Brazil  in many restaurants they serve Romeu & Juliet for dessert ( A slice of guava jam  on side with a slice of cheddar or Edam cheese)  or Guava Ice Cream.

FMfruitforest

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2019, 07:34:42 PM »
try to get a variety with small seeds like ruby supreme or exacalibur red, im sure there are many cultivars in Miami with smaller seeds too

MameyDisco

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2019, 05:08:33 PM »
Sometimes it's difficult to focus on less seeds, because various seedier varieties can oftentimes taste excellent and better to some people depending on their taste preference. There's also a lot of non air layered seeds that have varying levels of acid. Those are better suited for preserving. Flavor can be compromised if one looks solely for the least seediest guava cultivar. A dessert guava is usually thick shelled and the inner seedy pulp can be cooked into a sauce or jelly. Guava is quite utilitarian and can serve various other purposes for the crafty culinarian.

Guavas have pectin. By cooking them and passing through a strainer you can make guava jam. If you pass through a straining cloth you can make  guava jelly. You can get instructions on You Tube  or you contact me.
 In Brazil  in many restaurants they serve Romeu & Juliet for dessert ( A slice of guava jam  on side with a slice of cheddar or Edam cheese)  or Guava Ice Cream.

Romeo & Juliet is a testament that the marriage between guava & cheese is worth noting. A variety of cheeses can be enjoyed, not just cream cheese. Edam and cheddar along with Manchego, Gruyère and many more. What's your favorite? In Cuba "Pan con Timba" is the equivalent to Brazil's "Romeo & Julieta". A slice of guava paste on a piece of Cuban bread, cheese of your preference if desired. Also known as "Timba" when served humbly on a cracker. Guava shells with cheese is invariably the most well known classic Floridian guava dessert, canned guava shells, which can be spiced to your liking with the Myrtaceae relative, clove Syzygium aromaticum, cinnamon and allspice berries etc. It was much enjoyed by Florida Crackers and was supported by early Bahamian settlers and many more Caribbean / Latin American residents.

It is important to note that the pectin content exists in the skin, so the marmalade made using the other skin is also highly praised & the finest product made from guavas aside from the extraction of pure guava juice. Nectar is not finer product than pure juice, since it can be doctored with sugar per governmental regulations. The jelly which is generally pink is also considered one of the finest jellies in the world. A finer jam can be made by omitting the skins making the preserve much smoother and less gritty than the marmalade.

A dense paste is made using pectin and higher levels of sugar. Guava crystalizes as it ages, particularly the thick paste, what I believe is called "guava cheese". Seed removal should be done either before or after blanching. Sorbet, ice cream, preserves, syrup and even the seeds can be used for medicinal purposes.

I also like to serve the guava cut into wedges and encourage people to try eating the fruit whole, skin and seeds. The skin is very nutritive and contains high levels of lycopene, more than the fruits of the tomato plant.



« Last Edit: January 10, 2019, 05:13:11 PM by MameyDisco »
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FV Fruit Freak

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2019, 12:14:51 PM »
Pineapple guava has a wonderfully sweet taste, you can cut them in half and eat everything inside with a spoon, oh yeah I almost forgot, they’re seedless!!!!
Nate

toucan_joe

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2019, 01:25:16 AM »
Juice them

This. And also you can use your spare juice for guava marinade.
I eat them fresh, seeds and all.  I've seeded, chopped and frozen them for smoothies.  I canned guava butter last year and still have some jars left. Also guava rum is delicious, especially mixed with apple juice.
You can also make guava marmalade. Or use them to make guava cheesecake. Yum.
Or guava cupcakes...of course with a cream cheese frosting. The fancy cupcake places now are making a killing on these.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2022, 11:41:48 AM by JakeFruit »

pineislander

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #7 on: May 27, 2019, 06:51:00 PM »
I have made guava ketchup/catsup. Just a long cooked guava jam till it darkened with molasses, vinegar, and spices.
At one point I had a business in the USVI Caribbean making over 20 kinds of hot sauces, jams, jellies, preserves, syrups and chutneys.
We were up to 300 cases per year and beginning to sell wholesale to gift shops when hurricane Hugo wiped out business and the farm in 1989. I had a 30 gallon steam kettle so could make fairly large batches.

Jungle Yard

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2019, 03:48:11 PM »
Sometimes it's difficult to focus on less seeds, because various seedier varieties can oftentimes taste excellent and better to some people depending on their taste preference. There's also a lot of non air layered seeds that have varying levels of acid. Those are better suited for preserving. Flavor can be compromised if one looks solely for the least seediest guava cultivar. A dessert guava is usually thick shelled and the inner seedy pulp can be cooked into a sauce or jelly. Guava is quite utilitarian and can serve various other purposes for the crafty culinarian.

Guavas have pectin. By cooking them and passing through a strainer you can make guava jam. If you pass through a straining cloth you can make  guava jelly. You can get instructions on You Tube  or you contact me.
 In Brazil  in many restaurants they serve Romeu & Juliet for dessert ( A slice of guava jam  on side with a slice of cheddar or Edam cheese)  or Guava Ice Cream.

Romeo & Juliet is a testament that the marriage between guava & cheese is worth noting. A variety of cheeses can be enjoyed, not just cream cheese. Edam and cheddar along with Manchego, Gruyère and many more. What's your favorite? In Cuba "Pan con Timba" is the equivalent to Brazil's "Romeo & Julieta". A slice of guava paste on a piece of Cuban bread, cheese of your preference if desired. Also known as "Timba" when served humbly on a cracker. Guava shells with cheese is invariably the most well known classic Floridian guava dessert, canned guava shells, which can be spiced to your liking with the Myrtaceae relative, clove Syzygium aromaticum, cinnamon and allspice berries etc. It was much enjoyed by Florida Crackers and was supported by early Bahamian settlers and many more Caribbean / Latin American residents.

It is important to note that the pectin content exists in the skin, so the marmalade made using the other skin is also highly praised & the finest product made from guavas aside from the extraction of pure guava juice. Nectar is not finer product than pure juice, since it can be doctored with sugar per governmental regulations. The jelly which is generally pink is also considered one of the finest jellies in the world. A finer jam can be made by omitting the skins making the preserve much smoother and less gritty than the marmalade.

A dense paste is made using pectin and higher levels of sugar. Guava crystalizes as it ages, particularly the thick paste, what I believe is called "guava cheese". Seed removal should be done either before or after blanching. Sorbet, ice cream, preserves, syrup and even the seeds can be used for medicinal purposes.

I also like to serve the guava cut into wedges and encourage people to try eating the fruit whole, skin and seeds. The skin is very nutritive and contains high levels of lycopene, more than the fruits of the tomato plant.



MameyDisco,
Can you recommend a couple of good sweet guava varieties for Florida?
Thanks!
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MJS

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2019, 07:26:49 PM »
Use a metal strainer to separate seeds, 
first I cut up and cook my guavas with some water,
a good bit of heat breaks them down,
pass through a metal strainer.
The strainer does not need to be super fine, just needs to catch the seeds.

My favorite guava recipe right now is combining: Guava, vanilla, and citrus.

Cook some guava down with some cointreau(or any citrus liqueur) and vanilla,
strain seeds.  Boil down water content until you're happy with consistency.

I like it on a bagel or some other carbohydrate with cream cheese,
reminds me of the pastries growing up in Miami

Great sauce to put on any dessert really, Here is a picture of some
Chickpea tofu I poured some over a few years ago:

« Last Edit: July 17, 2019, 07:44:46 PM by MJS »

Oolie

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2019, 11:48:16 AM »
Pack a jar with them, then pour vodka over the top to remove all of the air. Seal the jar and put in a dark place for a year.

Istanabungur

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2020, 02:26:33 AM »
If its Thai Guavas (the crunchy type), I pickled them ( vinegar and/or lemon juice, chopped red pepper and sugar) . Ripe guavas - mix with water and juice them at low speed for couple minutes ( so seeds not being grind), strain them to discard the seeds, then put back the guava juice into my blender and juice them again with crushed ice and sugar and sugar at high speed - this way, I do not have that seedy stone taste in my guava juice.

olegmayami

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Re: What do you do with guavas?
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2022, 09:03:23 AM »
try to get a variety with small seeds like ruby supreme or exacalibur red, im sure there are many cultivars in Miami with smaller seeds too