Vitamix Jam: how to make tropical jam the easy way

Guava is an amazing tropical fruit that tastes like a pear and a strawberry combined. There is nothing like the smell of ripe guava’s. It reminds me of the smell of early summer – warm sunny days, with endless sunshine and cool breeze from the ocean.
Growing up in the south of India, I waited for guava season. In season, fruit is sold in carts on the side of the street. As well, street vendors carry this delicious fruit in baskets on their head and sell from door to door.
Guava’s are an inexpensive fruit almost all over the world and eaten in so many different ways – raw with salt and chilli powder, made into jams and jellies, sweet hard candy, delicious guava fudge, guava juice, combined into salads and much, much more.
There are many different varieties of guavas. I love the pink flesh guavas, the seeds are softer and the flesh is sweeter. The yellow guavas in the picture above have white flesh and skin which are generally good for cooking with and making guava jam or jelly or even guava cheese (which is really guava fudge).

This is a picture of guavas in Java, Indonesia. A vendor was selling these delicious guavas on the side of the street. The fruit is so sweet, as you can see flys are flocking to the cut fruit, as well as on to the knife that has the juice of the fruit. This pink variety with yellow skin outside, is so very delicious. The seeds are soft and the flesh is scrumptious.
I LOVE this variety and was fortunate enough to have a guava tree in our home in Bali, Indonesia when we lived there. In season are garden smelt divine. I wanted the smell and flavour of this wonderfully ripe fragrant fruit to last all year round. When guavas are ripe they smell like a tropical dream: sweet, hot and fruity.
This winter, I was fortunate to find guavas at my local Indian grocery store, where I presently live. I have also seen them in Chinatown and at Costco. I bought too many and couldn’t eat them all before some of them became over-ripe. So I made this delicious jam as a treat to help through the cold winter months. I enjoy this jam on toast with a cup of coffee or tea, during the very cold winter mornings. Sometimes I will drop a teaspoon of this jam in my hot oatmeal porridge – OMG sooo yummy!
Below is a very easy recipe that requires 3 ingredients – if you don’t count water as an ingredient 🙂 . It takes only 50 minutes to make your own home made tropical jam. No need to add pectin, as there is naturally occurring pectin in these ripe guavas. If you have never made jam, then give this easy recipe a try and you will love it and probably start making your own guava jam and then maybe other fruit jam as well.
Vitamix Jam: how to make guava jam the easy way
Ingredients
- 1 lb guavas (extra ripe and yellow)
- 1.5 cup cane sugar
- 4 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick (large whole stick)
Instructions
- Wash guavas and remove the ends. Slice in half and place in a large saucepan. To this add cane sugar, water and 1 cinnamon stick, bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or so. When you notice the guavas are soft and can be mashed. Remove from heat. Let cool slghtly.
- Blend boiled guavas in a high powered blender (I'm using a Vitamix), untill it is smooth.
- Pour the blended guavas into a seive (does not have to be fine). Press out all the guava pulp. You will be left with about 1 tablespoon of seeds. Discard the seeds.
- Pour the strained guava pulp back into the saucepan and add the same cinnamon stick to the pulp.
- Place the saucepan back on low heat and cook for about 30 minutes or so, stirring frequently. When you notice the guava pulp getting a bit thick and you can see the bottom of the saucepan, you know your jam is ready.
- Spoon your hot jam into your clean jars. Close the lid tightly and place a tea towel on top of your jar to absorb any moisture, while its cooling. When you hear the lid pop, it's sealed. Wait till the jam is cooled completely to store in your pantry for up to 6 months. But lasts in my house for less than 3 days ;)
- Once you open the bottle, store in the fridge.