Lemon Guava. Psidium littorale var. littorale
My poor Lemon Guava is so weighted with fruit. In the past, I considered removing this tree because the fruit developed a tough outer skin, never changed color, or ripened. Not the case with this crop of delicious Lemon Guava fruit.
Harvest yellow and yellow-green fruit that easily comes off the tree. If you wait too long, the Caribbean fruit fly might deposit larvae inside your fruit. You can still eat them, they just have more protein. Eat them like you would a berry or grape with seeds in them. Chew lightly and the seeds won't get stuck in your teeth. To me, they have a pear-like flavor.
Harvest yellow and yellow-green fruit that easily comes off the tree. If you wait too long, the Caribbean fruit fly might deposit larvae inside your fruit. You can still eat them, they just have more protein. Eat them like you would a berry or grape with seeds in them. Chew lightly and the seeds won't get stuck in your teeth. To me, they have a pear-like flavor.
Lemon Guava is slow growing and smaller than the Strawberry Guava. It will take periods of cold to 20ยบ. Not the most beautiful when branches are drooping with fruit, but we still love it at the front of our house. It needs no pollinator and once established it appears to be insect and disease-free.
The reason you don't find lemon guava fruit in the grocery store is that the skin bruises easily then browns like a very ripe pear.
I'll add a photo of the fluffy, white flowers when it blooms again.
