Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattleianum) or in Spanish arazá
Strawberry Guava is a small red fruit resembling tiny pomegranates that grows on a small tree (up to 25 feet tall but usually much smaller). There is also a yellow variety called Lemon Guava. Neither are related to the common Guava. The Strawberry Guava has a sweet delicious flavor. Since Strawberry Guava can be grown in parts of Texas so I have included it Texas Jelly Making. I learned that they grow well in Florida, Brazil and have become an invasive species where I was visiting in Hawaii.
I followed wild hog trails through the brush to locate the fruit trees. It did not take long to gather enough fruit for Strawberry Guava Jam (8 cups) since I found many trees heavy with fruit. After washing the fruit I cut off the end pieces of the fruit. I then cut the fruit in half. I put the fruit in my cooking pot along with 3 cups of water. I let it boil for 20 minutes then after removing it from the stove I mashed the fruit with a potato masher. I then returned the fruit to the stove for another 20-25 minutes. At that point I poured the contents into a blender. I then used a my food mill (a sieve also works well with a large spoon) to remove all the seeds. At this point you will get a contents that resembles a fine applesauce. I returned it to the pot on the stove on a medium heat. I added two cups of sugar and 1 tsp of lemon juice. I continued to cook the jam until it was quite thick. Upon tasting friends and family declared it quite tasty. We had it on pancakes and toast. After it was cooled I put it into freezer containers and placed it in the freezer.
Strawberry Guava Recipe
8 cups of fruit
3 cups of water
1-2 cups of sugar
1 tsp lime or lemon juice