Jack fruit:

A cultivated species from India and Malaysia , jack fruit is
widely grown in some parts of the Pacific, especially Fiji Islands. The fruit
is unusual in that it is borne on the trunk and main branches. It is the
largest edible tree-grown fruit, weighing up to 20 kg each, and pale green
in colour. The fruit is mature for harvest when the single small leaf on the
stem above the fruit withers and the first colour
changes can be seen . The
mature fruit is yellowish-green and has a tough,
rough skin. When ripe, the skin turns yellowish-
brown and the fruit softens a little. This
ripening process takes up to six to eight
months. Ripe fruit gives off a musty, sweet
aroma for a day or two before it is best to use
. The yellow flesh has a very
strong smell, and is very juicy. The fruits are
available throughout the year but are more plentiful in the hot season
(December to March).
Selection
Jack fruits can be sold whole or in sections. Choose fruit with a uniform
shape, unblemished skin and of a suitable size. Mature fruit have a greenish-
yellow colour and should be firm if they are to be used for cooking. For
ripening, choose fruits that have a more yellow colour and sound hollow
when tapped or thumped.
In some places, the flesh of the half-ripe jack fruit is cleaned and cut up
ready to use and then sold. In these instances, ensure as far as possible that
it has been prepared in a hygienic environment and packed in clean containersPreparation
Green jack fruit has a glue-like sap, so when preparing it oil the hands,
knives and chopping boards. This prevents the sap from sticking to surfaces.
To prepare, peel the skin and cut the fruit into manageable sections.
Jack fruit turns brown when exposed to the air; brush cut surfaces with
lemon juice to prevent browning. Cut the flesh into pieces. Extract the
seeds and discard.
Green jack fruit requires careful seasoning to enhance the natural flavour.
Recommended spices to use in jack fruit recipes include cumin, mustard
seed, chilli, garlic, onion, tamarind, tomatoes, capsicum, lemon, lime, salad
greens and olive oil.
Food value
Jack fruit contains up to 38 per cent carbohydrate, some protein and fat.
The fruit is a good source of dietary fibre, carotene, potassium and iron and
also contains small quantities of minerals and vitamins. Jack fruit has a higher
sugar content than other fruits and yields approximately 335 kJ or 80
kcal per 100 g .
Use
Green jack fruit is normally boiled and then fried in a small amount of oil
before being served or it can be roasted in hot coals. The flesh can be eaten
as a vegetable when half-ripe. It is chopped up and used in stews, curries,
soups (especially good with chilli) or in desserts, milk drinks, ice cream and
fruit salads.
Ripe jack fruit can be eaten raw as a fruit. It is most delicious when fresh.
It can be cut into pieces and added to fruit salad. Shredded fruit can be
served with lemon syrup as a dessert.
The seeds, white or brown, can be roasted and eaten.

Guava Cake

You will need



• 1 cup unsweetened guava pulp
• 11/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 egg
• 13/4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 cup raisins or sultanas
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (any available)


Method



1. Measure 1/4 cup sugar and add to
guava pulp.
2. Heat to boiling point and cool.
3. Cream margarine and remaining sugar.
Add egg and beat thoroughly.
4. Sift together flour, salt, soda and spices.
5. Add sifted flour to creamed mixture, then
add sultanas and nuts.
6. Add guava pulp and beat until smooth.
7. Pour into an oiled 20 cm square tin and
bake at 180°C for 40–45 minutes.
8. Serve warm, plain or with ice cream.

Guava:

This delicious small fruit tastes like a mixture of bananas, strawberries and
pineapple and when ripe it feels like a pear! It is the oldest and the most
common introduced wild fruit in many parts of the Pacific, including some
atolls. Guava has a very distinctive aroma.
Guava is one of the most important members of the family Myrtaceae. It is
indigenous to the American tropics and was probably spread to the shores
of the Pacific Islands around the mid-1800s by migrating birds. The plants
can survive a wide range of soil types, including poor sandy soils. They are
very hardy and can tolerate a wide range of climates, including very low
temperatures . However they thrive better under warmer
conditions and require approximately four to six months of warm weather
for the fruits to develop and mature successfully.
Guavas were introduced into different islands and have spread in the wild
to the extent that they have become a pest in some of the dry parts of Fiji
and New Caledonia . Records show that they grow well on
fertile areas in Kiribati, and were being propagated for sale to the public in
the early 1980s.
There are two varieties in the Pacific, the true guava (Psidium guajava),
which is the common variety, and the Cattley or cherry/strawberry variety
(Psidium cattleianum). The fruit of the common
variety is larger than the cherry variety. It is oval and about 4–8cm
long. The main fruiting season is usually between February and April.

Selection
When the guava is mature, its colour turns light green or yellow. The pulpy
flesh may turn pink when ripe or may remain white in some varieties; there
are many tiny hard seeds. Ripe fruit becomes soft, bruises easily, and ferments
readily.
When selecting guava, choose ripe, firm fruit with pale greenish-yellow
colour and clean skin, with no blemish, and without signs of worm infestation.
Half-ripe fruits are the best choice. If the fruits have ripened on the
tree, they should be clean and free of fruit-fly infection. The smaller, wild
variety often has better colour and flavour. Fruits of hybrids are larger.
Fruits for jams and jellies should be under-ripe.
Storage
Store fruit spread out on racks in a cool place. For longer storage refrigerate
whole fruit at 8–10°C . Alternatively, it can be frozen
in the following forms:
• blanched (for 3 minutes) half-ripe fruit cut into sections, with pulp
removed and drained,
• cooked pulp, sieved to remove seeds,
• juice from fruit that has been boiled and strained.
Preparation
This depends on the use. For eating raw, wash well and trim rose-end. For
other uses, the fruit may be peeled or used with the skin, pulped and
strained to remove the seeds. Fruits can also be stewed whole. With seeds
removed, guava tends to become soft and break up easily when cooked. To
use in desserts, wash, peel (if preferred), cut into quarters, remove pulp or
inside and discard, and cut into suitable sizes.
For drinks and puree, wash fruits, cut up and pulverise, using a blender.
Guava can also be stewed with water, a little sugar and lemon juice until
soft before pureeing for use in desserts or for storage. To stew fruit, wash,
peel and cut fruit into appropriate bite sizes, add enough water to cover the
fruit, sugar to taste and lemon juice or a few cloves, and cook until fruit is
soft.

Food value
Guava is an excellent source of Vitamin C. It is also a good source of dietary
fibre, carotene and potassium. Guavas
appear to be a good potential source of C, A and B vitamins in atolls.
Use
The fruit, including the skin, is very crunchy when fresh and makes an
excellent snack. The milder, sweeter fruits are usually eaten fresh; the more
acid fruits are more suitable for jelly making since they have a higher pectin
content . Guavas can be processed into juice. They can also
be stewed, or pureed, or dried into a delicious snack. People with digestive
problems should not eat whole guavas.

Soursop Sorbet

You will need



• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• 2 cups soursop puree


Method



1. Mix sugar and water and bring to the
boil. Boil 5 minutes and cool.
2. Add lemon juice and soursop puree.
3. Beat egg white till thick and gradually
add some of the fruit mixture, beating all
the time.
4. Fold in the remaining fruit, pour into a
freezer tray. When half-frozen, take out and
beat well.
5. Return to tray and freeze till firm.

Pawpaw (papaya):

Pawpaw is a delicious breakfast fruit. It originated in tropical America
 and, due to its versatility, spread as far as the tropical isles
of the Pacific. Pawpaw is also known as papaya, lesi, esi, maoli, olesi, popo,
mummy apple and by many other names 
. Pawpaws are abundant throughout the Pacific, even in some atolls.
They come in various sizes and shapes and colours.
There are generally three types of pawpaw trees: the female, which can bear
fruits provided the pollen comes from the male tree nearby; the male pawpaw
tree, which has flowers on long stalks and generally does not bear fruit
but provides the pollen for the female; and the hermaphrodite tree, which
has both male and female flowers and can bear fruit on its own. In recent
years new varieties have been introduced from Hawaii. These produce fruits
of uniform size, texture and flavour.
Pawpaw can be grown in backyard food gardens from seeds or from
seedlings distributed by agricultural extension officers. The pawpaw tree
takes a year to start bearing fruit. The fruit normally turns from dark green
to yellow/orange/pink when ripe .
Fruits are available throughout the year but are more abundant in the hot
summer months. In the markets they are sold by weight, individually or in baskets.

Selection
Ripe fruits are soft and easily bruised. It is best to select pawpaw fruits that
are firm and yellow-green and then ripen them at home. Choose fruits of uniform
size suitable for serving in halves or quarters. The Hawaiian variety,
Sunrise, is small and pear-shaped with pinkish flesh. For cooking with fish and
for chutneys, mature fruits with or without hints of yellow streaks are best.
Storage
The fruit has a very short life. Yellow-green fruits ripen in one to two days
at room temperature. Ripe fruit will last in good condition for three to four
days if stored at 5–7°C . They should be arranged in a
single row on a rack. For longer storage, puree the flesh of the fruit or cut
into cubes and freeze. Frozen fruits will become very soft.
Preparation
To serve as raw fruit, wash well, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Season
with lemon juice and serve. Alternatively, score the flesh into cubes with the
tip of a sharp knife, without cutting the skin, and scoop out the flesh. Firm,
ripe pawpaw can also be cut into fruit balls.
To peel green, under-mature or half-ripe pawpaw, cut off the stalk end, stand
upright and peel downwards, using a sharp knife. Cut in half and remove
pith and seeds. Cut the flesh into strips or cubes or grate coarsely into fine
strips for salad. When peeling green pawpaw, care must be taken, because
the sap can cause itchiness to the skin.
Food value
Pawpaw is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
It is also a good source of Vitamin A (betacarotene)
and dietary fibre and contains small
amounts of minerals and vitamins. A 100 g
portion of pawpaw contains 73 mg of
Vitamin C and 207 kJ or 50 kcal 
.
Use
The ripe fruit is best eaten raw as fruit for breakfast or as a snack. It is a tasty
and colourful addition to fruit salads. It can be made into drinks, sorbets,
88

Pawpaw Salad

You will need



• 1 small mature, but not ripe, pawpaw
• Salt to taste


Method



1. Peel and dice pawpaw into bite-size
pieces or coarsely grate.
2. Boil in salted water until cooked.
3. Drain and serve with chopped
spring onion.
(This can also replace leafy greens in fish-andcoconut-
cream dish.)

Baked Pawpaw

You will need



• 1 half-ripe pawpaw
• 1 freshly grated coconut,
made into thick coconut cream
with 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon sugar


Method



1. Cut off the stalk end of the pawpaw and
scoop out the seeds.
2. Add sugar to the coconut cream, stir well
and pour the cream into the prepared pawpaw.
3. Stand the pawpaw in a baking dish
and bake in a moderate oven until soft