I was given 4 lb or so of wonderful guavas this morning and would love to have some ideas on how any of you can them. They smell wonderful and have great flavor, but I am just not sure how I should preserve them....any ideas?? I could can them sliced I guess in a light syrup..but do they lose their shape, or turn to mush...maybe a puree is the better way??? help!!

-- Jenny Pipes (Auntjenny6@aol.com), September 13, 2001

Answers

I generally recommend against canning.

I would just eat them.

-- Rick#7 (rick7@postmark.net), September 13, 2001.

We make guava jelly. My mother-in-law has often just canned the juice/puree for future jelly.

-- sandi (msjazt@aol.com), September 13, 2001.

Do you have chickens? The chickens would probably love to eat them because everybody knows chickens will eat most anything. Even guavas.

We had a guava tree just outside my bedroom window where I grew up (Florida). (Now here I am just 60 miles from DC and about 30 miles from Camp David.) I'm glad you like guavas. If someone gave me guavas, I would either politely decline or smile and thank them then take them home to the chickens. Never could develope a taste for those things.

-- LBD (lavenderbluedilly@hotmail.com), September 13, 2001.

Hi Jenny, I found this recipe in an old canning book that belonged to my Grandma. Wash, remove stem and blossom ends and peel. Remove seeds with a spoon. Hot pack only. Drop shells into a medium syrup and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Pack in overlapping layers, adding 1 to 2 tblsps. syrup with each layer. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath. Pints---16 minutes, quarts---20 minutes. Thats it. Hope this helps. Wishing you well.

-- Kim in Indiana (kwcountrygirl@aol.com), September 13, 2001.