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Apple of the tropics

Guava is rich in Vitamin C and fairly rich in trace minerals like potassium, magnesium, sodium, sulphur and chlorine

GREEN GREEN GUAVA Good for jams and jellies

Sometimes called the `apple of the tropics', guava is a delicious tropical fruit famous for its acid-sweet taste and pungent aroma. Guava originated in South America, but now it is cultivated all over the world.

A guava can be round, oval, or pear-shaped and can weigh anywhere between 30 and 450 gm depending on the variety. The flesh of the fruit is white, yellow, or pink in colour is filled with small hard seeds. Although the entire fruit is edible when ripe, many people discard its seeds and skin.

The guava tree grows to about 6 to 9 meters . The trees have shiny smooth bark and drooping branches. The plants are easy to grow and need little attention. Guava trees yield fruits in three seasons, the trees bear the best crop during the monsoon and in winter. With only about 60 calories per guava, the fruit makes an easy, interesting, non-fattening dessert. It is an excellent sourceof vitamin C. The vitamin C value of the fruit increases with maturity and is the most when the fruit is fully ripe.

It is fairly rich in trace minerals like potassium, magnesium, sodium, sulphur and chlorine. Immature fruits are highly astringent and hence not edible.

The guava seeds are rich in aromatic oil, which contains considerable amounts of iodine and is used in some medicinal preparations. The leaves and barks are powdered and used for dressing wounds and sores. A decoction of fresh young leaves is said to be good for digestive disorders and cough. Powdered leaves are applied to sooth rheumatic pains.

Guava is usually eaten as fresh fruit, guava shake is an excellent nourishing and refreshing drink for young and old alike. The high pectin content of this fruit makes it suitable for jams, jellies, and a type of fruit paste called guava cheese. Here are some recipes to whet your appetite.

Guava Shake

Ingredients

Guava - Half kg
Cold Milk - Half litre
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Pineapple jam - 2 tbsp
Cold water - Half cup
Condensed Milk - One-fourth cup (optional)
Orange or lime juice - 2 tbsp
A few ice cubes

Preparation

Wash the guavas thoroughly and slice it into large pieces. Put all the ingredients in a liquidizer for three to four minutes. Garnish each glass of shake with chocolate shavings, serve fresh.

Guava Jelly

Ingredients

Guavas (medium sized) - 3 (so as to get one cup extract when

liquidized).

Sugar - Three-fourth cup
Lime juice - 2 tbsp

Preparation

Wash guava thoroughly and cut it into small pieces. Put these in a thick-bottomed vessel. Add water just enough to cover fruit pieces. Cook for 40 minutes on a slow fire.

Remove from fire and let it cool. Liquidize the cooked guava and strain it using soft clean muslin cloth. The guava fruit extract is ready.

Pour this fruit extract into a vessel. Add sugar and boil the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes, stir the mixture well.

Add lime juice to the mixture and keep on low fire for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick.

To check whether the mixture has attained the desired consistency, take a spoonful of the mixture and put it into a steel plate and allow it to cool. It should roll into a pearl like ball.

LEENA LEON

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