Tamika's Guava Jelly

by Tamika Williams
(Camrose, Montego Bay, St James, Jamaica)

Beautiful and Delicious Jamaican Guavas<br>Click on other photo to emlarge

Beautiful and Delicious Jamaican Guavas
Click on other photo to emlarge



Guava is a very nutricious and seasonal tropical fruit, but you can find it all year round depending on which parish in Jamaica you visit.

Here in Montego Bay the end of summer is the peak of our guava season.

Guava is a favourite for children at home on holidays as they are sweet and fleshy.

Birds and children, eating and discarding the seeds, help to propogate this most tasty fruit.

Apart from making Guava Jelly as below, Guava can be used to make Guava Juice or mixed with other fruits to make various fruit juices.

Guava has its own unique taste and once you have tried it you will be wanting more.

Guava Jelly is an old time Jamaican favourite and there are many recipes for making it.

This is my personal recipe, tried and proven and a favourite of my family and friends.

"A few guava each season keeps the doctor away all year", so let's use our natural fruits and stay healthy.

Ingredients

  • 8 large guavas - approximately 1 1/2 lb
  • 1 lb sugar
  • 5 cups water
  • A pinch of gratered nutmeg


Method

  • Use a shredder to shred guava and place in a large wide pot as mixture tends to boil over
  • Add all the water
  • Boil for about 10 minutes (shredded guava boils quicker than diced guava)
  • Allow mixture to cool completely
  • Then using a large strainer, strain using hands to squeeze and rub along the strainer. This seperates pulp and seeds but allows tiny particles of fruit to seep into the liquid
  • Return strained mixture to pot and bring to a boil
  • Add sugar and stir until disolved
  • Pay close attention to make sure mixture is not boiling over
  • Jelly is ready when air bubbles are no longer on the top of mixture,
  • Do NOT boil too much (about 30 minutes)
  • Turn off flame and allow to partially cool
  • Pour warm jelly into clean glass containers and allow to cool completely before covering.

Fills two eight once jars.

Tastes great on toast or crackers, with peanut butter or just by itself.

Ahhh...Ras ... Enjoy!!

Comments for Tamika's Guava Jelly

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Does not jell!
by: Anonymous

Followed recipe exactly and it did not jell! Will have to try to salvage as a drink!

Honey
by: Kenya

Have you tried making the jelly with honey instead of sugar? How much do you think that I should use to replace the sugar?

No Citric Acid
by: Tamika Williams

I have no clue why citric acid is added to all the other recipes you mention. I only know that this is how I was taught to make it as a child, and from trial and error. For instance once I decided to make it with the skin instead of draining. The skin makes it thicken so much that I still have the two jars in my cupboard the jelly hardened so much because of the skin that the jelly cannot be extracted without breaking the jar. I often become tempted to try but even today I cannot get any of it out, but the smell is still the same. I hope I answered your question satisfactorily.

Citric acid query
by: Anonymous

Your recipe is the only one I have seen on Google WITHOUT CITRIC ACID, no lemon, no lime. Why? Is it not necessary?

This recipe has been contributed by one of Jamaica-No-Problem's viewers in Jamaica and it is how she makes Guava Jelly successfully. See also the opinions expressed in the other comments on this topic.

So, I would presume that it is not necessary.

Guava jam
by: Usha

I made 2 batches today. Taste was very good. I did not add nutmeg, but thinking of adding ginger next time.

Guava Jelly Jamaican
by: Aline

Tamika, thanks so much for posting your
recipe. Guava jelly is my most favorite jelly ...
tried for years making and failing with pectins.
Love the guava ice cream from your Country.

Guava Jelly
by: AnonymousZUL

Thx for the recipe. This is how jelly or jam shoukd be made. The REAL JAMAICAN WAY!!!

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