This Father’s Day I spent the afternoon with my dad cooking his favorite food, guava jam. My dad is from Bangladesh and loves guavas. Many a time, he reminisces about the great guava jam my grandmother would make when he was a young boy.
Guavas are a common tropical fruit that can be sweet and have a strong fruity fragrance. They are often eaten raw and cut up into slices like an apple.
To make my grandmother’s guava jam, the ingredients you will need are:
- 2 pounds of ripe guavas, washed and trimmed
- 4 cups of white sugar, or as needed
- 4 tablespoons of lime juice, or as needed
- 1 pouch of liquid pectin (3 ounces)
First Step:
Cut each guava into 8 pieces. Then place the cut up guava in a pot and fill it with water until the guavas are just covered. Bring the pot to a boil. Then reduce the heat and let the pot simmer until the fruit is very tender. This should take around an hour. Then let the pot cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 2:
Mash up the soft guava in the pot. Use a hand mixer or hand masher to break apart the guavas.
Step 3:
Strain the contents of the pot through a fine mesh sieve. Using a spatula or masher to push the fruit through the sieve so only seeds and skins remain. You should get around 4 cups of liquid. Clean the pot and pour the liquid back in.
Step 4:
Add 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of lime juice for every cup of liquid. Bring the liquid to a simmer and gradually add the sugar and lime juice while stirring. Continue to cook until all the sugar has dissolved and the jam has thickened. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. If the jam thickens on its own and drips very slowly off a spoon, do not add pectin. However, if it does not thicken up enough, add liquid pectin and simmer for 1 minute longer. Then pull off the heat.
While the jam is cooking, inspect six ½ pint jars for cracks and rings for rust. Discard any defective ones. Immerse the jars in simmering water until jam is ready. Wash new, unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.
Fill the hot and sterilized jars with jam, leaving around ¼ inch of space at the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims with a moist paper towel to remove any residue. Top the jars with slides and screw rings tightly.
Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring the water to a boil and lower the jar into the boiling water using a holder. Pour in more boiling water to cover jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, and process for 10 minutes.
Final Step:
Remove the jars from the stockpot and let rest for 12 to 24 hours. Press the center of each lid with a finger to ensure the lid does not move up or down. Store the jars in a cool and dark area.