Unusual guava fruit discovered

An avocado shaped guava was found in West Bay by Denise McInnis.

According to Mrs. McInnis, she planted the tree more than two years ago after receiving the plant from Harry Chisholm, but it never bore no more than eight fruits at one time – and each was round.

She was surprised one morning when she discovered one guava had a very odd shape and left it to see if it would change and become round like the others.

She continued to monitor the guava which had grown to about a half-pound and 4 inches in length until it was ripe for picking.

“If it is anything like the other guavas I have picked from the tree it is very sweet,” she said. “The guavas I picked before has a reddish pink pulp and loaded with very big seeds.”

Mrs. Denise and her husband plan to make and enjoy a nice tropical drink from the fruit.

Guava fruits can vary in shape from round, ovoid to pear-shaped. They can be from 2 to 4 inches long. There are many varieties of guavas and they differ in flavour. The seeds are numerous, but edible in the good varieties.

A guava tastes best when it is just ripe. The flesh is sweet, soft and creamy. The flesh is usually white but can be pink, yellow or red. The rind is edible. A ripe guava has a sweet, musky odour. The flavour is a like a cross between a strawberry and a lemon. In shape it resembles an apple or a pear and is sometimes referred to as the poor man’s apple.

The guava is native to the tropics.

The place of origin of the guava is unknown, but it is believed to be somewhere in the region that extends from southern Mexico to Central America and the West Indies. Spanish and Portugese colonisers carried it to the East Indies. It is widely grown in Asia, Africa, Egypt and Mexico.

Guavas contain compounds that help to control blood pressure, lower cholesterol, battle diabetes and fight cancer.

It is commonly believed that eating an orange or other citrus fruits is more beneficial to health than eating any other kind of fruit. However, one guava has 165 milligrams of vitamin C, while one orange has 69 milligrams. The guava is also an excellent source of beta carotene, lycopene, potassium and soluble fibre.

Guavas are very rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants act against the “free radicals,” which damage cells and can cause cancer, diabetes and coronary disease.

Guava also help control blood pressure and cholesterol. This is probably because of the high potassium content found in guavas. Potassium a mineral essential for electrical reactions in the body, including your heart. It also keeps the heartbeat steady, and it assists the kidneys in removing waste.

The guava’s cholesterol lowering effect may be due to its soluble fibre content. The soluble fibre forms a gel that binds cholesterol and carries it out of the body.

A guava leaf decoction is taken to relieve colds and bronchitis. The roots, bark, leaves and immature fruits, because of their astringency, are commonly used to halt gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, dysentery and vomiting in cholera patients.