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Henrie's Recipes
It's guava season!
Guavas Growers Association
Posted Mon, 02 Jun 2008
Versatile, nutritious and nature's most powerful source of vitamin C, guavas are exceptional. Harvested from April to September, guavas are the perfect winter fruit to boost the immune system during the flu season. They are available across South Africa, but the most important producing areas are Mpumalanga, Limpopo Province and the Western Cape.
This winter fruit contains three to six times more vitamin C than oranges, 10 to 30 times more than bananas and about 10 times more than papayas.
The largest concentration of vitamin C is found just under the skin, while the pips contain iron. Guavas are also a good source of licopene, which helps to prevent heart disease and prostate cancer. A guava is a rich source of dietary fibre and an excellent choice if you are watching your waistline at just 0.18 kilojoules.
Winter boost
They will boost your immune system and help to protect you against common illnesses such as colds and flu during these cold months. Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant and a vital nutrient as it helps to prevent the damaging oxidation process at the cellular level in the body.
Out of season guavas are also a healthy choice when canned, preserved or liquidised. The vitamin C content of guavas remains remarkably stable when canned or dried, which makes this fruit so versatile.
Guavas can be used in countless ways. Enjoy them as a juice, in jellies, pureed or stewed. They also freeze very well.
The guava tree is hardy, and indigenous to Central and Southern America where it is found both cultivated and growing wild. Guavas have been in South Africa for over three centuries after Jan van Riebeeck brought the first guavas to the Cape from Madeira.
The first commercial orchard was planted in Paarl by Fan Retief in 1890 and some of these original guava trees can still be found on the Palmiet Valley Estate guest farm near Paarl. Today, the most important producers of guavas and their products are South Africa, the Republic of China and Hawaii.
Be sure to eat plenty of guavas this winter as they are available in abundance. Whether you stew them, drink them or enjoy them fresh — they're definitely a winter essential for the whole family.
Try this recipe for guava compote:
Method:
Blanche guavas by dipping in boiling water for a few seconds.
Place guavas in (syrup) and keep syrup just under boiling point until fruit is tender (± 8 minutes).
Pour Van der Hum or sherry with a cinnamon stick and lemon juice over.
Leave to cool.
Should a thicker syrup be required, remove fruit from syrup and reduce fluid to required thickness by further cooking.
Replace fruit in syrup and leave to cool.
Serve with whipped cream.
Guava chutney
Method:
Cook preferably in enamel or stainless steel saucepan.
Heat vinegar and dissolve sugar. Add onions and all the other spices and cook for 20 minutes. Add guavas and cook until it thickens. Allow to cool slightly.
Bottle in sterilised jars after the guava chutney has cooled down. Fruit such as quinces and apples may be added to help chutney thicken quicker.
Serve with fish, chicken and cold meats. It can also be used for browning over baked chicken.
