Fermented Feijoa – Probiotic Guava Peel Beverage

A friend of mine recently introduced me to feijoas, small guavas with a beautiful green skin that are a bit larger than the size of a golf ball.  While the flesh of these ripe fruits is delicious by itself and can be used in various baking or jam-style recipes, the peels can also be used to make a fermented probiotic beverage.  As with any fermented beverage recipe involving sweet fruits, naturally-occurring yeast, and added sugar, the alcohol concentration of the final product will increase if you allow the fruit to ferment at room temperature for longer.  With the recipe provided below, the alcohol content is relatively low, traditionally between 0.5%-2.0%, depending on how long you decide to leave it out at room temperature.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Fermentation duration: 3-4 days for a lightly fermented taste; can be extended for a more pronounced fermentation, but be mindful of the increasing alcohol content.

Serves: 15

Note: This recipe requires a two-quart mason jar, although you can easily scale down the recipe and use a smaller jar. As with any fermented recipe, you really have to squeeze down the guava peels before you cover them with the sugar and water solution.  You can use frozen guava peels for this recipe, if you are collecting them as you harvest or acquire them when they are ripe.