In this the 17th instalment of the continuing series, Food for Thought/ Grow & Eat Local, we focus on the guava fruit, Psidium guajava, that bears on a relatively small tree in the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae). Guava has taken a beating here in T&T in more recent times. The term "guava season" is used to describe a period of difficulty, of economic woe and hardship, when there is nothing to eat but wild fruit like guava...when it used to be wild.
Here in T&T, we tend to gravitate towards fruits and foods that are not local. Estimates are that our food import bill is near TT$5 billion annually and growing. Did you know that in the 1960s the Macqueripe/Tucker Valley was lush with citrus and banana fields producing more than enough to supply the nation? In other fertile areas other crops were prolific.
Oil centricity, industrialisation and non-agricultural business have essentially put paid significantly to the agricultural sector. It is critical that we as a nation engage and support the resurrection and revival of local food production (eg in schools), processing and consumption. As a country, we must place greater emphasis on food sovereignty as a matter of urgent attention. For example, better roads are needed as highlighted in the Guardian recently. http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2016-06-14/couva-farmers-want-road-fixed.
Guava's place of origin is uncertain, but it is believed to be an area extending from southern Mexico into or through Central America and thereafter distributed throughout tropical America and the Caribbean region. Guavas were adopted as a crop in subtropical and tropical Asia, the southern United States and tropical Africa.
The most frequently eaten species, and the one often simply referred to as "the guava," is the apple guava. The fruits are multi-seeded berries. The term "guava" appears to derivefrom Arawak guayabo "guava tree," via the Spanish guayaba. Several species are grown commercially; the apple guava and its cultivars are the most commonly traded internationally.
Around the world, guava cultivars have been developed with fruit of varying external and internal flesh colour, seediness, sweetness, shape and size. In Trinidad, a large, white-fleshed type is commonly known as 'Cayenne'. Another is the 'Centeno Prolific', a small fruited but prolific bearer which was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture for use in processing.
The fruit has also been developed specifically for processing and for the fresh-fruit market (also known as Table Type cultivars). Of particular interest is the large (ten-15cm) fruited pear-shaped green guava (with white, crisp and sweet flesh) which originated from Thailand
Guavas are of interest to home growers in subtropical areas as one of the few tropical fruits that can grow to fruiting size in pots indoors. When grown from seed, guavas bear fruit as soon as two years and thereafter, as long as 40 years. While the tree will have fruit throughout the year, here in Trinidad, the main guava crop coincides with the long school vacation period between July and August.
Guava is a small tree with spreading branches, it is easy to recognise because of its smooth, thin, copper-coloured bark that flakes off, showing the greenish layer beneath, and also because of the "bony" aspect of its trunk which may reach a diameter of ten inches (25 cm).
Mature trees of most species are fairly cold-hardy and can survive temperatures slightly colder than 25 �F (?4 �C) for short periods of time, but younger plants will likely freeze and die. The tree is drought tolerant but in dry regions, lack of irrigation during the period of fruit development will cause the fruits to be very small in size. The fruit matures 90 to 150 days after flowering.
Guavas exude a strong, sweet, musky odour when ripe, may be round, ovoid, or pear-shaped, (five-ten cm) long, with four or five protruding floral remnants (sepals) at the apex. The immature fruit are green in colour and when ripe, outer skin colour can vary from pale green, light-yellow or dark yellow frequently blushed with pink. When immature and until a very short time before ripening, the fruit is green, hard, gummy within and very astringent.
Next to the skin is a layer of somewhat granular flesh, (three-12.5 mm) thick, white, yellowish, light or dark pink, or near-red, juicy, acid, subacid, or sweet and flavourful. The central pulp is of uniform colour or slightly darker in tone and is juicy and normally filled with very hard, yellowish seeds, though some rare types have soft, chewable seeds.
Actual seed counts have ranged from 112 to 535 but some guavas are seedless or nearly so. In T&T, guava fruits are a primary host of the Caribbean fruit fly which can make ripe fruits inedible. As children, eating guavas with worms (immature stage of fruit fly) was not uncommon.
The entire fruit is a key ingredient in fruit punch, and the juice is often used in culinary sauces (hot or cold), as well as artisan candies, dried snacks, fruit bars, desserts. In many countries, guava is eaten raw, typically cut into quarters or eaten like an apple, whereas in other countries it is eaten with a pinch of salt and pepper, cayenne powder or a mix of spices (masala). Guava juice and nectar is popular in many countries and fruits are also often prepared in fruit salads.
Guava contains a high level of pectin used in food preparations as a gelling agent, particularly in jams and jellies. It is also used in fillings, medicines, sweets and as a stabiliser in fruit juices and milk drinks. Green mature guavas can be utilised as a source of pectin, yielding somewhat more and higher quality pectin than ripe fruits. Guavas are extensively used to make candies, preserves, jellies, jams, and marmalades. Here in T&T, guavas are used to make guava jelly, jam and guava cheese.
Guavas are rich in dietary fibre and vitamins C, B (with moderate levels of folic acid) and A. Guavas also contain flavonoids like beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and cryptoxanthin and therefore it is considered to be a "superfruit." Having a generally broad, low-calorie profile of essential nutrients, a single guava fruit contains about four times the amount of vitamin C as an orange.
Guava seeds remain viable for many months and often germinate in two to three weeks but may take as long as eight weeks. Pretreatment such as boiling for five minutes or soaking for two weeks, will hasten germination. In as much as guava trees cannot be depended upon to come true from seed, vegetative propagation is widely practiced.
Since ripe guava fruit are a chief source of food for birds and animals, in many parts of the world, guava runs wild and forms extensive thickets called "guayabales" in Spanish�and it overruns pastures, fields and roadsides so vigorously in Hawaii, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Fiji, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba and southern Florida that it is classed as a noxious weed (or an invasive species) subject to eradication. In Tobago, along the road crossing the Main Ridge, numerous guava trees can be seen; it is a favourite food of the Cocrico.
Nevertheless, wild guavas have constituted the bulk of the commercial supply. In 1972, Hawaii processed, for domestic use and export, more than 2,500 tons (2,274 MT) of guavas, over 90 per cent from wild trees. During the period of high demand in World War II, the wild guava crop in Cuba was said to be 10,000 tons (9,000 MT), and over 6,500 tons (6,000 MT) of guava products were exported.
Food for Thought/Grow and Eat Local seeks to inform about the 149 crops that are grown in T&T (not counting the varieties within many of them) which are depicted on two charts with a photo of each crop in alpha order giving the local and scientific names and were sponsored by First Citizens. The model has been duplicated in Barbados, St Lucia and St Vincent and efforts are underway to do so in Jamaica and Guyana. Copies have been distributed to all schools and libraries. Information regarding their availability: email fruitstt@live.com
Visit the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries' website at
http://www.agriculture.gov.tt/
This series is written in collaboration with Cynthra Persad, retired director of Research, Ministry of Agriculture.
Guava Cheese
INGREDIENTS
Butter for greasing dish
1 lb of granulated sugar
1 lb of guava pulp (no seeds)
1" stick of cinnamon spice.
METHOD
�2 Guavas must be firm. Peel the guavas and pick out all of the seeds.
�2 Use a fine sieve to pass the guava flesh through.
�2 Now place the guava pulp, spice with sugar in a heavy duty skillet, use pot with a heavy bottom and cook on high until mixture starts to "jump" stirring once in a while.
�2 Reduce heat then cook the mixture, stirring constantly, with an up and over motion till the mixture is thick and separates very easily from bottom and the sides of the pot leaving the pot clean.
Note: To test put a drop of mixture on a saucer. It should form a ball that can be rolled around. In a greased fireproof glass dish pour in guava cheese and let it cool. Cut the guava cheese in small size squares, when it's cooled off.
Guava Jam
INGREDIENTS
3 cups guavas, peeled and quartered
4 cups sugar
2 limes juiced
1 package liquid pectin
METHOD
�2 Add guavas, sugar and lime juice into a medium saucepan and add water until the guavas are covered.
�2 Boil and reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
�2 Use blender to break up guava mixture. Once blended, strain through a fine mesh sieve or a cheese cloth.
�2 Put the strained mixture back in the saucepan, add the pouch of pectin and let boil. When boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for another 20 minutes or until thickened.
�2 Remove from heat, and pour into sterilised jars and seal. The jam will continue to thicken while cooling.
Food and Description Values per 100g
Calcium (mg) Iron (mg) Potassium (mg) Sodium (mg) Zinc (mg) Vit.A Thiamin (mg) Riboflavin (mg) Niacin (mg) Total Folacin (�g) Cyano Cobalamin (�g) Vit. C
Breadfruit Fresh 20 0.3 284 3 0.2 79 0.05 0.5 1.2 184
Cooked, boiled 20 0.6 25 0.01 0.04 0.5 72