This round fruit ranges from 1 to 4 inches in diameter. A thin green or yellow skin covers the soft and fragrant pinkish fruit with many tiny seeds in the center. Guavas do not keep very well and the fresh fruit is only available in warmer climates. Northerners can buy guava jelly, guava nectar and dried guava slices. The large, leafy mango tree is a common sight in West Africa with smooth, heavy fruit which falls to the ground upon ripening.
Mangoes start out green and hard, turning softer and rosy as they mature.
Peel before eating, and slice the fruit away from the large, flat white pit in the center. The yellow fruit will taste sweeter if it is allowed to ripen fully. Mangoes are easy to find in the produce section of most supermarkets. The green skin turns yellow as it ripens. The peach or pink coloured fruit has a small circle of round, dark seeds in the center, which should be removed.