One of the hidden treasures you may get the chance to experience if you go hiking in late September or early October is the ripening of the guavaberry trees on St. John. Throughout the region of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, St. Maartin and Dominican Republic there are songs about the joy of the guavaberry. The scent of the air around gauvaberry trees can send you into a euphoric state of happiness. I recently fell in love with gauvaberries once again, after not having the pleasure of eating them for many years. While making the candied stew I added brown sugar, local St. John bay rum leaf, cinnamon sticks and star anise seed from St. Lucia. The powerful aroma of this mixture filled the air and my spirits. the challenge not to eat all of them raw and uncooked took my recipe down by half. The fruit ranges in color between an orangey yellow to a deep purple red. The stains on my fingers and anything else they came in contact with, was delightful, It just made me think of their yummy goodness.
Traditionally, Virgin Islanders make a rum out of the berries that stays for years in a big bottle hidden until the holidays when someone’s grandmother or aunty take it down for sharing as a sweet treat for visitors who traditionally go “serenading” from home to home. This local tradition in St. John has not been completely lost and the tradition of gauvaberry rum is still very relevant in homes of Indigenous Virgin Islanders.
Serenading wouldn’t be complete without singing about guavaberry. There a few famous Caribbean songs from other islands about this distinct fruit, such as “Gauvaberry” by Juan Luis Guerra from the Dominican Republic. Though examples of this song and fun tradition isn’t easily found online, if you come visit during this time and attend a cultural event you may hear it. One prominent song usually done locally by Scratch and Quelbe bands is, “Mama Make Me a Johnny Cake”. I chose to feature one of our favorite St.Johnians (now deceased) Wesley Thomas- singing the lyrics in the first half of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Z2Uymzd_E&t=301s made by Anna Fisher. here is a more formal version by the Fungi Band, https://youtu.be/hDM7cLVqqY4 . The song was originally attributed to Bahamian, Alphonso “Blind Blake” Higgs, a Goombay (traditional Bahamian music) folk artist. Learn more about him here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Alphonso_Higgs. Happy Holidays and I do hope you get your guavaberry for christmas too!
