How to Ripen Guava

Guavas are one of the most aromatic fruits because even if from afar, you can smell that there are guavas in the area. But, how can you ripen guavas when you mistakenly harvested or bought some that are not yet ready to eat.

How do I know Guava is Ripe?

It will take some time before you know whether or not the guava has matured enough to eat.

How You Can Tell When A Guava Is Ripe

If you want to know when they are ripe, look at the color of the skin. If the skin turns yellowish or greenish color, then it means that the guava is ripe.  Furthermore, you can tell the guava is ripe by its changed smell which is a pleasing aroma. The other clue that the guava is ready is the fruit starts to soften.

You May Also Be Interested In

Testing for a Guava For Ripeness

If you want to test whether the guava has reached its peak of ripeness then using taste, smell and touch are your key tools for testing for ripeness.

In American most people will use color to determine if the guava is ready. Then they will use touch to see if it is soft.

Many of the varieties of guava sold in America also have a very slight pinkish tinge to the skin as another indicator of ripeness.

The ultimate test is of course it to cut into it – but it certainly helps to know your guava is ready before you cut it.

How Do You Know if A Guava Is Ripe
How Do You Know if A Guava Is Ripe – See the Pink Tinge On the Skin – that indicates the Guava is ready

The Scent of A Guava Can Tell You if It Is Ripe

When you have smelt ripe guava your olfactory memory will retain that smell pattern and next time you can just use your sense of smell to test the ripeness of the guava. Guava that is ready to be eaten has quite a strong aromatic aroma.

How to Ripen Guava?

Normally, guavas or any other fruits ripen naturally when they are still attached to their trees. But sometimes, farmers harvest guavas due to reasons like typhoons or flooding that will destroy the whole farm.

So to ripen guavas off of the trees, you only need two (2) things: a paper bag and an apple or banana. The method is very simple, you just need to put the guavas with apples and bananas in a paper bag to make the ripening faster than usual. However, you need to rinse off the wax on the outside of the guavas because that will delay the ripening process. You need to make sure that they are also dry when you place them in the paper bag.

How To Ripen Guava at Home

How to speed up the guava ripening process – There are many ways to accelerate the ripening process of guavas. One of the most common ways and probably the easiest way is by placing the guava in a paper bag with some banana leaves. 

How To Use a Paper Bag To Rippen Guava

To ripen guava quickly, place them inside a paper bag and leave it at room temperature for a few days. This will allow the fruit to absorb the ethylene gas emitted by the fruit which causes the fruit to soften. You can use the guava to ripen itself or add a banana or kiwifruit which releases high amounts of ethylene speeding up the process.

How To Use Rice To Rippen Guava

Rice (uncooked)  traps the ethylene gas that is released by fruit like nothing else. Essentially becoming a concentrated form of guava ripening agent. You need to make sure the guava you want to ripen is covered completely by the rice so it can absorb and retain the ripening gas. This is a natural way to ripen guava and lots of people will use organic rice to ripen organic guava. Brown rice works better than white rice, but both work well. Black rice is more effective than other types of rice.

How To Ripen Guava For A Big Group
How To Ripen Guava For A Big Group – You can use a larger Brown Paper Bag and Put in up to 10 Guava that will feed 15 People

Use the Cotton Cloth Method

If you want to know how to ripen guavas, then this method will surely help you. You just need to place them inside a cotton cloth and leave them for some hours. This way, they will absorb the released ripening gas of the fruit and start to ripen.

Optimum Temperature

You can use temperature to control the spread that guava will ripen and be ready to eat. As soon as you take them out of the fridge, they will start to soften. If you want to preserve the freshness of the fruit, then you should keep them at a cool temperature of around 41F.

Can You Eat Unripe Guava?

Absolutely! It’s like you’re eating unripe mangoes. In tropical countries like the Philippines, people snack on unripe guavas by slicing them thinly and dipping them in homemade anchovies (bagoong) or salt and pepper. You might want to ingest this after eating a meal because of the sourness or acidity it gives off.

Another way to enjoy unripe guavas is to incorporate them into your vegetable salad to add a little bit of crunch. However, you might want to eat this in moderation because it’s just too sour if not mixed with something sweet or salty.

How Long Does Guava Take To Ripen?

Usually, guavas ripen three (3) to six (6) months after the flower blooms. This is why you can only see guavas in farmer’s markets or even at supermarkets twice or sometimes if you’re lucky, thrice a year. You can see the colors of guavas changing from dark green to a light green and when you touch them, you will feel their softness and smell their lovely aroma. And when the guavas you have at home are ripe enough, you need to make sure that you consume them right away or store them in the fridge to avoid wasting this lovely fruit.

What Month Is Guava Season?

It may be odd for a tropical fruit to be in-season during the winter but guavas are mainly in-season from November to April. This means that you can enjoy eating the sweet and seedy fruit during the winter holidays until spring the next year. However, this is not the same with the other countries’ guava season because sometimes, this fruit only lasts from October to December. It’s just a matter of geographical location and the temperature of the area.

Do Guavas Ripen After Being Picked

Guava do slowly ripen after they have been picked from the tree, but it may take some weeks depending on how unripe they were when picked. Guava fruit are ripe when they have turned yellowish-green. 

How long does guava fruit take to ripen

To naturally ripen a guava fruit can take up to 2 weeks or more.

Can you eat unripe guava

They can still be eaten if they are green, but they won’t taste as good.

How long does it take guava to ripen at room temperature

It will take approximately 2 weeks for guava to ripen. Of course, if you live in a warmer region then the process will be faster, and in wintertime it may be so cold they do not ripen at all.