All About Papaya!

Since we all need a little bit more sun right now, we decided to feature the papaya as our March fruit of the month. Papayas are deliciously sweet and are available at your local grocery store year round.

Did you know?

• Papayas were referred to as the “fruit of the angels” by Christopher Columbus.
• Papaya seeds are edible, but are quite bitter so it’s best to remove them.
• The most popular papaya is the solo or Hawaiian variety. Most papayas are approximately 6 inches long and weigh between 1 and 1.5 pounds.
• They are greenish-yellow skinned but have a bright orangey red flesh. Ripe fruit has more yellow than green colouring and yields to gentle pressure.
• Papaya contains an enzyme papain that can be used as a meat tenderizer. Papain also aids in digestion.
• To ripen papayas, store at room temperature in a loosely closed paper bag. Cover and refrigerate ripe fruit for up to one week.
• Papayas are very high in Vitamin C and very high in Folacin

Here are a few delicious papaya recipes for you to try at home!

• Green Papaya Salad; this crunchy colourful salad will put the sunshine on your dinner table!
• Celebrate these delicious fruits with a Minty Papaya Margarita! Sipping on this will make you really feel like you’re on a tropical beach.
• Bringing a dessert to your next potluck? How about this great Papaya Delight!

Have you ever eaten a papaya? Have you incorporated it into recipes? We’d love to hear your ideas!