How do you know when a guava is ripe?

Gardener972 · Sep 29th, 2008, 04:39

I see them in Asian grocery stores periodically and buy them but they don't taste anything like what I had in India. They are hard and I'm wondering if they will ripen on the counter???

ebby · Sep 29th, 2008, 13:45

Most varieties turn light yellow in color, becomes slightly pliable when pressed and gives out a smell. I personally like to eat them just before it reaches this stage, when the fruit is still crisp and crunchy with a dash of salt and chilli powder.

Nick-H · Sep 29th, 2008, 13:57

A curious fact: in this part of the world, guava is pronounced goa!

Anyway, I like mine when they are soft and about to go bad. The best ones from out tree were the ones that fell off!

billyshake · Sep 29th, 2008, 14:07

Yup, for both eating and juicing, they're best when they're just about to go bad. Buy the hard ones, put them on the windowsill, and wait until they're a little soft. And if you blend them with bananas and oranges? Yum.

Nick-H · Sep 29th, 2008, 14:12

I like my grapes when they are wrinkled, my bananas when they are just turning slimy...

I'm just a sugar-head

jyotirmoy · Sep 29th, 2008, 14:18

Keeping them wrapped in news paper speeds up the ripening process, same with Papaya.

Aishah · Sep 29th, 2008, 14:22

And if you put bananas and papaya together they both ripen nicely - could be the same with guava!
We used to have pink fleshed guava which came from Fiji, but they were always in tins (in NZ). The ones here are good - and like everyone says, the skin has to be yellow before you attempt to eat them. Like Nick, I like mine with a few brown spots on them and they are just starting to be 'on the turn' for bad.

ebby · Sep 29th, 2008, 16:42

The pink or red guavas seem to be on the decline. It used to quite common in my childhood. Nowadays you get the profusely yielding allahabad variety , big and fleshy with few seeds. In my house i have potted a variety known locally as KG guava,ie , it should weigh a kilogram. However, my are only about 250 - 300 grams each. but they are good and tasty to eat. I will try and put a photo later in the day.

Aishah · Sep 29th, 2008, 17:08

I wish we got that big type out our way, ebby - they are all small to medium and many seeds as hard as rocks. I reckon we just get the cast-out ends of available fruit here. Bananas and papaya are reliable however.

Nick-H · Sep 29th, 2008, 18:05

We do get the pink-flesh ones here, and they are delicious. In the old house our neighbours across he road had such a tree, and would occasionally give us a few

Aishah · Sep 29th, 2008, 18:29

Lucky you!

brishti · Sep 30th, 2008, 01:04

the fruit stinks when ripe gardener.

personally i like mine the same as ebby's :

Quote:

before it reaches this stage, when the fruit is still crisp and crunchy with a dash of salt and chilli powder!

Quote:

I like my grapes when they are wrinkled, my bananas when they are just turning slimy...

hmmm...

:brishti

Gardener972 · Sep 30th, 2008, 02:08

Who knew there were so many types of guava! Here in the states, all I've seen is the large green one about the size of a small grapefruit and they aren't easy to find. I think I'm addicted to them after having my first one in India! I did find a small yellowish-orange one in Mexico about the size of a lime. Yum!

About that smoothie... do you take out the seeds first? Do you all eat the seeds? If I plant one of the seeds, will it grow?

VJ HAWK · Sep 30th, 2008, 04:27

The guavas here in the US are not as tasty as the ones in India.. may eb I am biased. I like them the way ebby and brishti likes them not like NIck. Though its not a good thing to do... if you press the tip of your nail to the fruit and it goes in without much resistance and when you withdraw there is no residue on your finger tip its our kinda good and if it leaves residue then its Nick kinda good. if its hard to push your finger nail then its defnitely not ripe. I often found that in a basket of guavas the lighter green ones compared to the darker ones are ripened better. Ofcourse this is all my personal experience.. good luck...

Nick-H · Sep 30th, 2008, 05:01

In London we used to get guavas that were more pear-shaped; here they are round.

Hawk, that's a good hint; I'll remember that technique.

Didn't somebody on the site recently say that they are just perfect when the parrots start eating them?

Sep 29th, 2008, 04:39	#1
Gardener972 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Dallas, Texas USA Posts: 428	How do you know when a guava is ripe? I see them in Asian grocery stores periodically and buy them but they don't taste anything like what I had in India. They are hard and I'm wondering if they will ripen on the counter???

Sep 29th, 2008, 14:22	#7
Aishah She-who-must-be-obeyed! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jaisalmer Posts: 7,616	And if you put bananas and papaya together they both ripen nicely - could be the same with guava! We used to have pink fleshed guava which came from Fiji, but they were always in tins (in NZ). The ones here are good - and like everyone says, the skin has to be yellow before you attempt to eat them. Like Nick, I like mine with a few brown spots on them and they are just starting to be 'on the turn' for bad. __________________ "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

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Sep 29th, 2008, 13:45	#2
ebby Brain dead member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mysore, India Posts: 1,901	Most varieties turn light yellow in color, becomes slightly pliable when pressed and gives out a smell. I personally like to eat them just before it reaches this stage, when the fruit is still crisp and crunchy with a dash of salt and chilli powder.

Sep 29th, 2008, 13:57	#3
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,190	A curious fact: in this part of the world, guava is pronounced goa! Anyway, I like mine when they are soft and about to go bad. The best ones from out tree were the ones that fell off!

Sep 29th, 2008, 14:07	#4
billyshake The Prison Yard In Winter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 1,278	Yup, for both eating and juicing, they're best when they're just about to go bad. Buy the hard ones, put them on the windowsill, and wait until they're a little soft. And if you blend them with bananas and oranges? Yum.

Sep 29th, 2008, 14:12	#5
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,190	I like my grapes when they are wrinkled, my bananas when they are just turning slimy... I'm just a sugar-head

Sep 29th, 2008, 14:18	#6
jyotirmoy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 5,223	Keeping them wrapped in news paper speeds up the ripening process, same with Papaya.

Sep 29th, 2008, 16:42	#8
ebby Brain dead member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mysore, India Posts: 1,901	The pink or red guavas seem to be on the decline. It used to quite common in my childhood. Nowadays you get the profusely yielding allahabad variety , big and fleshy with few seeds. In my house i have potted a variety known locally as KG guava,ie , it should weigh a kilogram. However, my are only about 250 - 300 grams each. but they are good and tasty to eat. I will try and put a photo later in the day.

Sep 29th, 2008, 17:08	#9
Aishah She-who-must-be-obeyed! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jaisalmer Posts: 7,616	I wish we got that big type out our way, ebby - they are all small to medium and many seeds as hard as rocks. I reckon we just get the cast-out ends of available fruit here. Bananas and papaya are reliable however.

Sep 29th, 2008, 18:05	#10
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,190	We do get the pink-flesh ones here, and they are delicious. In the old house our neighbours across he road had such a tree, and would occasionally give us a few

Sep 29th, 2008, 18:29	#11
Aishah She-who-must-be-obeyed! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jaisalmer Posts: 7,616	Lucky you!

Sep 30th, 2008, 02:08	#13
Gardener972 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Dallas, Texas USA Posts: 428	Who knew there were so many types of guava! Here in the states, all I've seen is the large green one about the size of a small grapefruit and they aren't easy to find. I think I'm addicted to them after having my first one in India! I did find a small yellowish-orange one in Mexico about the size of a lime. Yum! About that smoothie... do you take out the seeds first? Do you all eat the seeds? If I plant one of the seeds, will it grow?

Sep 30th, 2008, 04:27	#14
VJ HAWK Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: "Field of Dreams" US. Posts: 45	The guavas here in the US are not as tasty as the ones in India.. may eb I am biased. I like them the way ebby and brishti likes them not like NIck. Though its not a good thing to do... if you press the tip of your nail to the fruit and it goes in without much resistance and when you withdraw there is no residue on your finger tip its our kinda good and if it leaves residue then its Nick kinda good. if its hard to push your finger nail then its defnitely not ripe. I often found that in a basket of guavas the lighter green ones compared to the darker ones are ripened better. Ofcourse this is all my personal experience.. good luck...

Sep 30th, 2008, 05:01	#15
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,190	In London we used to get guavas that were more pear-shaped; here they are round. Hawk, that's a good hint; I'll remember that technique. Didn't somebody on the site recently say that they are just perfect when the parrots start eating them?