Where to Buy Guava Fruits?

If you are living in Asian countries then there won’t be any problem looking for a place about where you can buy guava fruits. In fact, most people in Asia especially those that are in the equatorial region do commonly have guava trees planted at their own backyards. Thus, they don’t even need to buy this kind of fruit from the market.

However, if you are from the Western world then you may find some trouble trying to find where you can buy guava fruits. One of the main reason is that, this kind of fruit is not commonly known on these countries that some individuals doesn’t even know how to eat it.

So where can you buy guava fruits?

Look for Farms near your Area

The first step is to look for farms near your area and try to verify if they are producing guava fruits. You have to know that buying fruits that are fresh from the farm offers the best quality as compared from those that got preserve and being sold from the grocery stores. Some farms even allow their own customer to go into the plantation and pick their own guava fruits right from their trees.

Local Asian Groceries

If you live in a city then surely, there is no farm nearby that you can pay a visit. Thus, your next attempt is to check your local grocery stores particularly those that are catered by Asian products because they do have better chances of guava fruits available on their shelves.

Online Stores

Your last option of buying a guava fruit is to search it online. I actually do recommend Amazon and purchase from the company, “Tropical Importers”. They are a company that specializes in importing different sorts of tropical fruits where guavas is just one among them. There many other companies as well to choose from but it’s all up to you make your own research about them especially when it comes to their own reputations.

Some consumers who order guava fruits online often do encounter an issue where they received an overly-ripe guavas that at some instances, it is no longer edible. If you happen to experience this kind of situation then it means that your order came from a far distant location.

Guavas are actually very delicate type of fruit which makes it too difficult for shipment. They could easily get ripe in just a matter of one to two days. So if it takes three days to reach your door-steps then you already know what to expect. This is the current problem of all fresh fruit and vegetable shipping companies that they have been dealing for a very long time trying to find a good solution.

You might say, “Somebody got to do something about this”. There is actually a group of scientists who dedicated themselves in finding the best method for food preservation. So let’s just hope that they could discover an effective method at the soonest possible time.

Anyway, guava is a seasonal type of fruit. So if it happens that you are having a hard time looking where to buy it then, it is probably not its season yet. You might just want to settle down with those canned guava juice drink. The only problem is that, they are not 100% guava juice extract where there are other mixture of ingredients that are added especially sugar and preservatives.

If you really love eating guava that much but the availability of this fruit in your place is very limited then one of the best possible solution is to plant your own guava fruit tree. With the advancement of our farming technology, you can literally plant a guava tree through a pot and let it grow indoors but if you can place it outdoors then the better.

Perhaps, there is one more last option about where you can buy fresh guava fruits but it requires some amount of money for you to spend. If you really want to get a taste of that fresh guava fruit then you may want to consider planning a tourist vacation in some Asian countries. You just have to make sure that you go there during the right season.

Moreover, if there are any other available options on your mind that are not mentioned on this post then our community would really appreciate it if you share them on the comment form down below.

How to Plant Guava Seeds for Dummies

There are two different methods in planting and growing your guava tree. The first method is to use guava seeds and the second is to use a seedling or sucker. According to the experts, its best to apply the second method which ensures that your guava tree will surely bear plenty of fruits.

The First Method

You can buy your guava fruit from any market or grocery store. There are different types of breeds so choose the best guava fruit of you choice that you wish to plant and grow. Another important aspect that you need to consider is that the fruit must be ripe. Over-ripe guava fruit will be a lot much better as most of the seeds had already expanded. However, over-ripe guava fruit are no longer edible.

Slice the guava fruits into pieces then boil it into a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. This procedure will break the dormancy of the seeds and speeds up the germination process. Collect the seeds and put them on a small saucer plate. Fill the saucer plate with water just good enough to keep the seeds wet which is to maintain moisture.

After 2 to 5 weeks, your guava seeds should start sprouting into a tiny little plant. Thus, the next step for you to do is to prepare a nursery pot for them. Use black soil on your nursery pot as this type of soil have the essential nutrients needed by young plants to grow healthy.

As your little guava plant starts to grow in size, you need to change or transfer it into a larger-sized pot. You may also plant it directly in an open area. You have to know that most guava trees can naturally grow at an approximate size of 30 feet in height.

The Second Method

In most cases, guava trees that has been planted via the first method is claimed by some individuals as an inappropriate method. Your plant will most likely die but if it manages to grow, it will only bear few amount of guava fruits. At some point, it might not even bear fruits which will be the worse possible outcome.

To ensure that all your effort will not go to waste, the second method of planting a guava tree is best suggested. The best way to obtain a seedling is to buy it from a local nursery store that sells them.

Planting a guava tree is actually very easy wherein it does not involve so much work unlike any of the other plants. It can even grow at almost any type of soil such as clay or light sandy soils. The use of organic compost mixed on the soil is just an extra added benefits.

Maintenance of your Guava Tree

Watering your plant can be done at least once a week. It is an amazing fact that a guava tree have a strong resistant against drought but the adverse effect is that it will not bear fruits abundantly. Thus, if you want your guava tree to bear abundant amount of fruits then water it generously.

Places wherein they can have temperatures below 29 degrees Fahrenheit can seriously damage guava trees. At some point, guava trees won't be able to survive in such places.

Pruning the main shoot of your guava tree is another task that needs to be considered for maintenance. Depending on your preferred height of your guava tree to grow, you have to prune the main shoot at that level. It is also important to get rid of any emerging suckers from the ground or at the low portion of the trunk. This is to encourage strong growth for the main guava tree.

When your guava tree finally bears huge and heavy fruits, there is a tendency that the branches will sag. This can be fixed by supporting the branches with canes or wires. Major pruning must be done after the fruiting is over to maintain the shape and height of your guava tree.

Guava trees can be easily infested by fungal disease which can be observe when most of the leaves have brown spots on them. This can be treated by using an anti-fungal spray which contains copper. As for the fruits, they are most likely targeted by maggots which are contributed by flies. This can be avoided by covering each of the fruits with paper bags before they even begin to ripe.

Peeling the Skin of a Guava Fruit

Some fruits like Rabutan, Orange and Longan must be peeled because their skins are not edible. The skin of the guava fruit is actually edible that it even contains higher amount of nutrients as compared to the internal flesh of the fruit. Thus, it is best advised not to peel the skin of a guava fruit unless you have some medical excuse or you simply don't like the taste.

In some cases, people who are suffering from diabetes are advised to peel the skin of the guava fruit before eating. This was due to the recent study that has been conducted wherein the scientist had proven that the skin of the guava fruit can increase blood sugar level for up to 97%. By peeling the skin and eating the internal flesh of the fruit, it can increase your blood sugar level by 27%.

How to Peel the Skin of a Guava Fruit?

There are many possible ways on how to peel-off the skin of a guava fruit. The most common method is to use a knife. Take note that a knife is a very dangerous tool and you are not advised to use it if you are not skilled enough to handle such tool. If this is the case then please ask an assistance to somebody who knows how to properly handle a knife.

With the use of a knife, you can start peeling-off the skin of your guava fruit at any side that you prefer. The most important part is to maintain peeling the skin of your guava fruit at 1 to 2 mm thickness. Beyond this measurement, you are losing plenty of health benefits that are to be provided by the fruit.

At first, you might not be able to peel the skin of the guava fruit that you are about to eat. Through practice and repeated attempts, you will soon be able to acquire the skill on peeling the skin of a guava fruit which can also be applied to any other fruits.

If you are too young that your parents won't allow you to handle a knife, you can use your teeth for peeling-off the skin of your guava fruit. But before you do, you have to make sure that the fruit that you are about to eat is thoroughly clean. This method will even clean your teeth from any dental plaques.

Today, there are various kitchen tools that are now available on the market. Some of them are genuinely designed that makes peeling a certain fruit so easy. You don't even have to worry about accidentally cutting your self. For those who enjoy making juice out from various types of fruits, a multi-purpose blender machine can automatically do the peeling task for you. All you just have to do is to slice the fruits, put them into your blender then start the mixing process.

The guava fruit should always be eaten as a whole and it must never be peeled or you will be losing a lot of its health benefits. Although, some nearly over-ripe guava fruits will have some parts on them that starts to get rotten. This does not mean that the fruit is no longer edible. You can simply clean the rotten portion by cutting it off with your knife. This is the only possible exemption beside from those people who are suffering from diabetic disorder.

Soy Sauce as an Alternative to Salt and Vinegar

The previous post was all about a method of eating the guava fruit with the added ingredients which are the Salt and Vinegar. At some point, there are individuals who prefers to use Soy Sauce rather than the Salt and Vinegar. Before we discuss the preparation, let's get to learn more about the Soy Sauce.

What is a Soy Sauce?

Soy sauce in some part of the world is also known as 'Tamari'. It is actually made from a miso which is a fermented paste of soy beans. The contents of soy sauce is rich in sodium with a flavor that provides ample seasoning by simply adding a small amount. Apart from the sodium content, soy sauce is also rich in vitamins and minerals which makes it as the healthy seasoning choice with many benefits.

For those who are suffering from disorders wherein you are advised by your doctor to limit your salt intake, you can try to use the low sodium variety of soy sauce. Here are the following health benefits of the soy sauce:

Maintains a Healthy Heart

Soy sauce contains 'Niacin' which is a type of nutrients that aids your heart by lowering the levels of fats in your blood stream. At the same time, it also raises the levels of the healthy cholesterol. This has already been proven through a scientific study that has been conducted by the MB Elam. The result has been publish in September 13, 2000 which can be read on 'The Journal of the American Medical Association'.

Antioxidants Properties

Just like the guava fruit, soy sauce also have antioxidant properties which can reduce the risk of cancer.

Helps Stabilize Moods

The soy sauce contains an essential type of amino acid known as the 'Tryptophan'. Again based from the scientific studies, your body often used tryptohan to produce serotonin and niacin. The production of serotonin is what promotes a healthy sleep and stable moods. Further research has even found out that irritability and negative moods of women who are suffering from their premenstrual dysphoric disorder are greatly reduced.

Preparing the Guava Fruit with Soy Sauce

Finally, here's the part on how you are going to prepare the guava fruit. If you have already read the previous method then the same procedure is applied. The only difference is that you don't have to add salt as the soy sauce already have an added salt content.

Choosing a Ripe Guava

When buying a fruit into the market, it is important for you to know on how to check whether the fruit is ripe or not. This can be done by sticking your fingernail into the guava fruit. If its soft that your fingernails easily penetrates through the skin then it means that the guava is ripe. However, if there is a slight resistance then leave the guava alone as it is not yet ripe.

Washing the Fruit

To wash the guava fruit, simply place them into a bowl then fill it with cool and clean running water. At the same time, you can rub the fruit with your hands to clean each of the fruits.

Peel and Slice the Fruit

You may either choose to peel the skin or not. Its best suggested not to peel the skin as the rich nutrients contents are found on the skin of the fruit. The next step is to slice the guava into half or quarters. You can even slice it into smaller chunks if you like.

The Soy Sauce

Place the sliced pieces of the guava fruit into a bowl. Finally, add a soy sauce into the bowl then mix it up. Congratulations, you can now enjoy eating your guava fruit.

How to Know When a Guava is Ripe?

Either you are picking the guava fruit from a guava tree or you are simply picking it up from a grocery store, it is important for you to know how to determine whether the fruit is ripe or not. There are actually several indications that can be observed from the fruit telling you when it is already ripe.

The Color

Common type of guava fruits can be easily identified if it is already ripe for the picking due to color. Ripened fruit usually have light yellow color. However, there are some different species of guavas wherein the fruit remains bright green but are already ripe. If this is the case then you can do the second method below.

Stick your Fingernails

With your fingernails, stick it right into the skin of the fruit. If it easily penetrate through the skin then the guava is ripe. Its still unripe when there is a little resistance.

Smelling the Fruit

The aroma of the guava fruit changes as it becomes ripen. As the fruit gets more ripened, the stronger the tasty sweet smell will become. Fruit Growers even describe it as 'penetrating' which means that you can smell it without putting the fruit close enough into your nose.

What to do with Unripe Guavas?

If you have accidentally picked guavas that are not yet ripe then you need to keep it at room temperature as it will soon get ripen in just a few days. According to some sources, unripe guavas will ripe faster when you are to keep them on a paper bag along with other fruits such as a banana, apple or avocado. Washing the fruit with cool trap of water also helps in speeding up the process of ripening.

Already ripe guava fruit must always be stored in the refrigerator and it will be good for two days period. Refrigerating the fruit doesn't stop the ripening process of the fruit but to delay. If it happens that you have plenty of guava fruits that you wish to store for a longer period of time then you can use edible wax to further delay the repining process of the fruit.

Buying Ripe or Unripe Guava Fruit

Some says that it is best to buy guavas that are green and nearly ripe. Take it home then simply place them inside a paper bag along with some other fruits. In one or two days, check your guava fruits and it is for sure that some or most are already fully ripe.

Buying guavas that are already ripe is only advisable when you intend to eat all of them with a duration period of one to two days. Beyond this time, some guavas that are left might turn bad and no longer edible.

Moreover, there are some people who prefers to eat guavas that are nearly ripe. The color of the fruit is light green and it requires tough teeth to chew on the fruit. One of the reason why some people choose to eat nearly ripe guava fruit is that it thoroughly cleans their teeth out of dental plaques.

Eat Guava Fruit with Salt and Vinegar

The very first method of eating Guava that has been previously discussed on this blog is the common way of eating the fruit. You will simply either peel the skin or directly eat the guava fruit upon washing it on a clean running water. On this post, you will get to learn a better and more enjoyable method of eating the fruit with two added ingredients.

Lets have a short discussion on all the components that you are about to eat particularly on the health benefits. First time visitors are suggested to visit and read the post entitled 'Guava Fruits for Cancer Prevention'. Every possible health benefits of the guava fruit has been discussed on that post.

Salts is a common ingredient that is used in almost every cooked type of food. By consuming the right amount of salt into your body, it will keep you healthy. Don't you know that most of your body contains water? Actually salt water which is very similar to the composition of water found in the ocean. This is the reason why people who got ill are often given saline or salt water solution directly into their bloodstream.

Retain Hydration

Anyone who suffers from dehydration such as due to diarrhea can be treated with salt in-take. Most doctors recommends Gatorade or any similar electrolyte drinks which contains high salt contents.

Regulates Blood Sugar

Diabetic individuals are important not to have a low salt intake. Its because salt helps reduce the body's need of insulin which aids it in maintaining proper sugar levels.

Health Thyroid

Thyroid disease such as goiter can be prevented by regular salt intake because of the salt's iodine contents.

How about the Vinegar?

Vinegar just like salt is another common cooking ingredient. There has been numerous studies and researches that has already been conducted about the health benefits of the vinegar but there's still no official result or conclusion from the experts. However, many individuals believes that it can cure and prevent various forms of diseases and below are some of them:

- Vinegar can help lower glucose levels for those who are suffering diabetic disorders.

- Lowers high cholesterol.

- Maintain proper blood pressure for a healthy heart.

- Prevents various forms of cancers.

- Old method that has been used for a thousand years for weight loss.

Preparing the Guava Fruit

Wash the guava fruits that you are about to eat on a clean running water. Simply rub your hands against the skin of the fruit to get rid of any possible dirt. Once cleaned, place them all on a clean bowl.

Peel the Skin

If you enjoy eating the skin then you may skip this step. For those people who are suffering from diabetes, it is advised that you are to peel off the skin.

Slice the Fruit

Most guava eaters slices the fruit into four pieces.

Salt and Vinegar

On a small saucer plate, put 3 spoon filled with vinegar then sprinkle some salt. Mix the salt and vinegar with your spoon until you can no longer see or felt the grain of salt.

Ready to Eat

You can either use a fork or simply pick up the sliced piece of guava fruit with your clean fingers that you are about to eat. Dip it into the salted vinegar each time you are to swallow a piece of the fruit. Some may find the fruit to be even tastier when they offer it on the salted vinegar for a few minutes before eating.