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
###
