Friday, May 06, 2011

Strawberry Guava Jelly

Mumndad have a magnificent strawberry guava tree/bush/plant.  Right now its loaded with ripe fruit which is just begging to be made into jelly.  Strawberry guavas have lots of really hard little pips, so they'd be awful as a jam.

As always my greatest challenge with making jams and jellies is getting the damn things to set.  You see I refuse, I just REFUSE to use jamsetter.  I see it as an additive, and if my English Grandmother could do without it, then so can I.

Strawberry guava jelly is notoriously difficult to get to set.  Being a life long adherent of Doing Things The Hard Way, for my first batch I ignored all the people on the internet and made the jelly in the usual jelly making way with just the guavas.

It did kind-of set, and it is delicious, but you sort of have to fold your toast in half and eat it in one mouthful if you don't want it down your front.

Batch 2 set like a dream because I added apples (so its strictly guava and apple jelly).  Adding apples sets almost anything because of the high amount of pectin they have.
Strawberry guavas about to be transformed
Ingredients:
Strawberry guavas
Apples - half the amount of guavas you have (eg 1kg guavas then 500g apples)
Lemon zest
Sugar - 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar per cup of juice you end up with (eg, 4 cups juice needs 3 - 4 cups sugar)

Method:

  • Wash guavas, chop apples
  • Put in pan, cover with water
  • Boil until fruit is mush, squishing with spoon
  • Strain juice through two layers of muslin, or a teatowel or whatever, just make sure it doesn't let any bits through
  • Give left over fruit mush to chooks
  • Add sugar
  • Boil until it reaches 105 degrees celsius - this could take a while, and don't stir too much
  • Let cool slightly
  • Pour into warm sterilised jam jars and seal
Ready for afternoon snacks on toast, and gifts for friends
Total cost: $1.97 for the sugar, $1.50 for the apples

:)

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Pip said...

I agree Jamsetta is like cheating as well, I was going to suggest adding some apple but you already have, sometimes just some apple peelings and cores will do the trick, I also started using a thermometer to correctly judge the setting point (instead of the jelly on the saucer) and had more success with that. Yummo I haven't had guava jelly in years although the last time I made it I ended up with guava toffee :( it still tasted very nice although very chewy.

Mel said...

The color is gorgeous. I bet it is delicious.

Caitlyn Nicholas said...

I love the colour of it too; so warm and rich

Caitlyn Nicholas said...

Oh no, Guava toffee! Interesting to hear about just using the cores and peelings, will try that next batch. Yeah, I have had much much more success now I have a thermometer, not only in jam making but yoghurt making and soap making as well. Did drop thermometer in milk the other day though, still kind of works, but time for a new one I think.

Jillian Sass said...

yummy yummy. you are so clever.

Diana said...

I would trade some of my veggies for a bottle of your yummy jelly. I wish we have strawberry guava too!

Hear Mum Roar said...

That does look delicious! I've never heard of strawberry guavas before. We used to have a pineapple guava tree at our old place (unfortunately, I killed it somehow), and my daughter who was in first grade at the time wrote about it at school, tried to correct her from saying 'we have a pineapple guava tree', to 'we have a pineapple tree and a guava tree' lol.


I was a little the same when I first read this, I'm all, 'where's the strawberries in the recipe?' LOL. I wonder if we could grow something like this where we live

Hear Mum Roar said...

That should've said, the teacher tried to correct her. Brain fart:P

wendie said...

My mouth is watering. Yum!

Caitlyn Nicholas said...

LOL, Thanks Jillian :)

Caitlyn Nicholas said...

The whole pineapple, strawberry, guava thing is so confusing. I've been caught out by it as well :)

According to the diggers book (http://www.diggers.com.au) Strawberry guava (psidium littorale var. longipes) grows from tropical climate down to ones that have heavy frost, and are tough-as once established. Mum was muttering that they are a native plant, but I'm not sure about that one.

Beatrix Vant said...

Dear Caitlyn, I have a  huge strawberry guava bush in the garden all full of fruit.  Complete failure to jelly so far, created sauce - that is all.  Will try your method, perhaps a few quinces (the big yellow apple-like fruit if I find any, it is delicious and jellies really well) instead of apple for the next batch.  Cheers, Beatrix Vant, Victoria Australia - will let you know how it went in a few days (I refuse settling agents as well!)  Im on Facebook - the no picture one with Beatrix Vant. Wish me luck!

Caitlyn Nicholas said...

Looking forward to hearing how it goes. Another commenter suggested you don't need the whole apple, just skin and cores - going to try that next time - which might be next year, possums have discovered mumndads tree. Good luck :)

Beatrix Vant said...

Dear Caitlyn, Syrup, syrup, syrup!  :(((
Heavy artillery coming tomorrow in the form of 5kg quinces (spelling?)....

Beatrix

Caitlyn Nicholas said...

Hi Wendy,
Add the zest before straining. You want a clear jelly at the end. Good luck
Cait :)