Fermented Feijoa – Probiotic Guava Peel Beverage
Description
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.
Ingredients
Instructions
When you are ready to begin your fermentation, clean and sanitize a two-quart mason jar or equal-sized fermentation vessel.
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Cut the feijoas in half, and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh from the center section of each half of the fruit.
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Save the sweet inner flesh for use in something like feijoa sweet bread, or muffins.
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Add the guava peels to a large mixing bowl, and add the white sugar.
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Add the sliced jalapeno to the mixing bowl.
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Toss the peels with the jalapeno and white granulated sugar together with a small pinch of Kosher salt.
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Transfer the peels and jalapeno to your clean mason jar, and firmly press down on the peels to compress them as much as possible.
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Cover the peels with room-temperature water, and press down again to make sure the peels are fully submerged below the surface of the water.
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Add a glass or ceramic fermentation weight to keep the peels submerged below the surface of the liquid.
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Cover the jar with a lid, and check on the ingredients every day to release the gas that has built up inside the jar.
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This product will become lightly fermented after roughly three days. After three or four days, transfer the contents to the fridge, and enjoy it for the next few days.
User Reviews
This reminds me a bit of pineapple tepache!