Fresh, tropical fruits are generally not plentiful in Iowa. Our grocery stores do get pineapples, mangos and other warm-weather fruits delivered from exotic locations, but they never taste fully ripened or fresh. I suppose that's because they are picked before they naturally ripen, so they won't spoil during shipping.
One of my local grocery stores carries an assortment of uncommon-to-the-midwest produce. Star fruits, fresh aloe vera, husked coconuts and papaya line the shelves. I think about grabbing one of these delicacies each time I visit the store. I like to broaden my food horizons whenever possible.
To play it safe, I picked out a fresh papaya today. I have eaten the sweet, orange fruit in tropical fruit mixes and pureed in smoothies. But, today was my first experience with a whole, fresh papaya.
After slicing the fruit in half, I scooped out the seeds and discarded them. Oh, I know they're edible but their peppery-pencil eraser type flavor didn't sit well with my taste buds. The orange flesh of the papaya was as soft as ice cream and incredibly sweet. Fresh papaya is much better than the canned tropical fruit variety.
After eating my fill of fresh fruit, the rest went into the refrigerator for more experiments. I'm thinking of indulging in a pineapple-papaya smoothie this evening as a snack.
Have you eaten papaya? Please share your favorite ways to eat this tropical delight!
Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!
Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living
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| Fresh papaya. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. |
One of my local grocery stores carries an assortment of uncommon-to-the-midwest produce. Star fruits, fresh aloe vera, husked coconuts and papaya line the shelves. I think about grabbing one of these delicacies each time I visit the store. I like to broaden my food horizons whenever possible.
To play it safe, I picked out a fresh papaya today. I have eaten the sweet, orange fruit in tropical fruit mixes and pureed in smoothies. But, today was my first experience with a whole, fresh papaya.
After slicing the fruit in half, I scooped out the seeds and discarded them. Oh, I know they're edible but their peppery-pencil eraser type flavor didn't sit well with my taste buds. The orange flesh of the papaya was as soft as ice cream and incredibly sweet. Fresh papaya is much better than the canned tropical fruit variety.
After eating my fill of fresh fruit, the rest went into the refrigerator for more experiments. I'm thinking of indulging in a pineapple-papaya smoothie this evening as a snack.
Have you eaten papaya? Please share your favorite ways to eat this tropical delight!
Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!
Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living
###
I eat papaya and mango when my husband and I are in Mexico. Always fresh and always good!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds amazing! I also love mangos. I buy them fresh, but would love to try one plucked straight from the tree! Yum! ~Angela
DeleteI have never had papaya before :) I am addicted to mango though. Hmmm why did melons steal the mango's spotlight for my M post?
ReplyDeleteXD
Greetings from the A to Z trail,
Sylvia @ Plant-based foodie
You should give it a try! It has its own flavor, but it mixes so well with other tropical fruits. I like to mix papaya and pineapple in a smoothie. ~ Angela, Whole Foods Living, http://www.wholefoodsliving.blogspot.com/
DeleteI've never purchased a fresh one either. I think I will the next time I see one.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun! Look for one with mostly yellow and just a little green on the outside. It should be just a tiny bit soft, but still overall firm with no big dents or dark spots. You can use a melon-baller to scoop out pretty balls of the fruit. Have fun! ~Angela
Deleteuse to eat a lot of this when i was still living in the Philippines. Here in L.A. it's hard to come by.
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Happy A-Zing!
I'm surprised it's hard to find in LA! I suppose we all have to enjoy whatever is fresh AND local! I just lucked out! (I'm in Iowa -- no tropical plants here!) Thanks for stopping by! ~Angela
DeleteI want to go to my brothers house right now and eat a freshly picked papaya, he lives in Hawaii :)
ReplyDeleteTake me with you!! I can't imagine picking mangos, papaya or other yummy tropical fruits and eating them fresh! I lived in Australia for a short time and was thrilled to have a lemon tree in the backyard! Now I'm happy with my midwest garden! ~Angela
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