Whether the guavas are courtesy of your mother’s Pink Guava tree or the local market, I make this Easy Homemade Guava Jam on a weekly basis during the season. If you’re looking for guava recipes, jam is a great place to start. Stir it into yogurt, spread it on toast or top a piece of poundcake with this easy jam recipe.
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Guava season
I know it’s practically December and this may seem like it’s completely out of left field, but, believe it or not — it’s guava season. My Mom’s tree is loaded with them and she’s in a war with the iguanas to snatch them off of the branches before they get to them. Thing is, guava ripens one fruit at a time, and you’ve got to stay on top of it to get any yield — and those damn iguanas apparently like them just as much as we do! Luckily, I’ve found another guava source so I can make this Easy Homemade Guava Jam.
These particular aromatic orbs came from our farmer’s market, not my Mom’s tree — and they were a bargain at $5 for a basket of 5. Mom made some fabulous jam last year with her harvest and we zipped through the jar she gifted us in no time. When I saw these beauties in the market stall, I knew precisely what to do with them.
What about the guava seeds?
If you’ve never worked with guava before, you should know they’re full of seeds that are as hard as concrete. You could literally break a crown on one — and since dental work is prohibitively expensive, I recommend dispatching the seeds. This can be accomplished by painstakingly picking them out of the fruit (good luck with that).
The easier way to remove guava seeds
OR quickly zipping the fruit in the blender on low speed to break apart the pulp and loosen the seeds. Just a few quick pulses should do it. Then press the fruit through a mesh strainer. This takes a little time and effort, but you’ll be rewarded with a gorgeous fruit puree and no porcelain-breaking seeds.
Then it’s just a few quick steps to your own fresh jam. A little sugar, pectin and heat are all it takes to make this heavenly, perfumed confiture. Because I only had 5 guavas, I didn’t bother with the traditional canning methods — this made just enough for a jar for my Mom and for us. But now that I know how easy it is, I’ll be on the lookout for more fruit — and maybe guava jam will wind up in everyones stocking this Christmas… (but keep it a secret, ok?)
Last year, with my Mom’s jam – I made the most amazing grilled cheese ever — I even instagrammed the photo. I think I’ll have to make it again soon. You’re not going to get this intense flavor and color from store-bought guava jam — and the tangy tartness with its tropical sweet notes is eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head-good! So despite the fact that we’re in full holiday baking mode — you need to make this a priority. Like, now!!!
Want more guava recipes?
- Guava Puree,
- Mini Guava Cheesecake
- Guava Cream Cheese Pastries
- Easy Guava Sherbet
- Guava Tangerine Fizz
- Spicy Guava BBQ Sauce
- Guava Vanilla Simple Syrup
- Pancetta Guava Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Guava Rum & Banana Daiquiris
More jams, marmalades and spreads:
Easy Homemade Guava Jam
INGREDIENTS:
- 5-6 guavas ripe and fragrant
- 2-3 limes juiced
- 1 cup sugar USE HALF THE AMOUNT OF SUGAR COMPARED TO HOW MUCH GUAVA PUREE YOU HAVE
- pectin
DIRECTIONS:
- Slice the guavas in half crosswise and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and seeds. Transfer the guava to a bowl and use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash the flesh, then transfer to a blender. Add the juice of two limes. Turn the blender on low speed to break up the flesh without pulverizing the seeds, about 20-30 seconds. Set a sieve (not a fine mesh sieve) over a 2 or 4 cup glass measuring cup and pour the guava pulp into the sieve. Use the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula and stir and press the flesh and seeds against the side of the sieve, so that the fruit passes through, but the seeds remain in the sieve. Work on this for about 5 to ten minutes in order to process all the puree.
- Confirm the amount of guava puree that you have by checking the measuring glass. Do this because you’ll need half the amount of sugar than you have of the fruit. So if you have 2 cups of puree, you’ll use 1 cup of sugar. Transfer the puree to a non-reactive pan. Add the sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of pectin for every cup of fruit you have. 2 cups fruit = 2 tablespoons pectin.
- Heat over medium high heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir one minute and remove from heat. Transfer to a storage jar. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Spread on toast, serve with a spread of cream cheese on crackers or swirl into yogurt
Amazing jam!
Do you mean 5 or 6 kilos NOT 5 or 6 guavas?
I have made guava jam a few days ago & stored it in the freezer. Canning jars are hard to come by & online is too expensive. Am making more today for the freezer, can’t stand the thought of letting the guavas go to waste. Will being stored in the freezer affect the jam & how long will it be good for frozen? Please don’t tell me it will be ruined! ? Thank you.
Freezing the jam should work just fine and I’d imagine it would keep for 6-8 months if you put it in a good freezer safe container.
I believe that one way to overcome the grittiness is scoop out only the inner flesh with the seeds and not the inner thick part of the skin. You will realise this if you thinly peel the guava with a potatoe peeler. Bite out the thick skin minus the inner flesh with seeds. Feel the grittiness!