April 29, 2007
Papaya
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Shortly after my arrival in Hawaii I had a health crisis that landed me in the hospital for three weeks. I was comatose for about ten days, so it’s the eleven other days I’m going to talk about here. Every one of those mornings there was papaya on my breakfast tray. It appeared with about half of my lunches and dinners, too. Once I was ambulatory I spent a lot of time walking the hallways and soon discovered that there was a refrigerator filled with snacks that patients were allowed to have. Jello, pudding cups, lots of juice and … papaya! I’d had my fill of it by the time I went home, but there are good reasons why health professionals encourage papaya in any diet. Papayas are good for you! They’re a good source of Vitamin C, fat-free, of course, but they are also wonderfully digestable. That meat tenderizer that you use to soften a tough steak? It works because the main ingredient is papain, an enzyme which breaks meat down. Papain comes from … papaya!
Papaya (Carica papaya) is actually a berry and is another food plant that is very popular in Hawaii. Unlike the other plants I’ve posted about recently, it did not come with the early Polynesian settlers. It came by way of Mexico after the western world discocoverd our paradise. The ones seen most often here are the Solo variety, yellow-skinned and pear-shaped with a pinkish yellow flesh. If you have papaya in your local market, they are like to be Solos. I sometime see Mexican papaya here. They’re more ovoid-shaped and much larger (up to ten pounds,) but blander and less sweet, so they’re not as popular as the Solos.
Even after all of these years, I still sometimes want to giggle when I see a papaya tree. They’re funny looking (at least to me.) The leaves and fruit develop at the top of the tree on a spindly trunk, creating a visual affect something like an umbrella. Most of the fruiting trees I see have large bunches of the fruit just below the leaf cap. That’s three separate trees it the photo on the right.
I suppose I could have gone to Safeway or another national chain and taken pictures of perfect papaya for you, uniformly green or yellow, unbruised and unmarked. But I live out in the country and my local market buys from small local farmers that I like to support. The fruit is not always as pretty on the outside, but it’s firm, sweet and juicy inside, and was raised pesticide-free. You can’t judge a book by it’s cover, you know, or a papaya by its exterior appearance. They’re still not my favorite fruit, but I eat them from time to time (they’re good for me!) and these are usually the ones I buy when I can’t find a neighbor giving away an over-abundant harvest.
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April 29th, 2007 at 5:41 pm, Chigiy Says:
Yum. I love papaya.
I also love buying from local organic growers.
We don’t usually get papayas at the farmer’s markets here though.
April 29th, 2007 at 6:03 pm, skeet Says:
The area I live in is impoverished, so, organic or not, I like to support local efforts. In this case, being organic is a dividend I get for buying local!
April 29th, 2007 at 6:53 pm, Whim Says:
I bet you get fresh passion fruit too! I am so jealous!
April 29th, 2007 at 9:26 pm, skeet Says:
Whim we get fresh ilikoi (passion fruit,) mangoes, guavas, pineapples, coconuts, breadfruit, taro, bananas and all kinds of strange Asian and Polynesian fruits and vegetables that I’m still getting to know. Not your everyday, blase’ American fare, for sure!
April 30th, 2007 at 12:38 am, gardenmomma Says:
Oh My goodness, Skeet, I’m glad you’re okay now. An eperience like that has a way of getting your attention and helping you appreciate life…and papayas!
I have to tell you that I have never tried one. I will think about it this week and get back to you! Have a wonderful week in paradise!
April 30th, 2007 at 1:08 am, Michelle Says:
Fantastic! Funny, I never knew where Papaya came from, I guess I always thought more like an egg plant. Makes me anxious to start making babyfood for the little one and I’m definitely adding papaya to the early list!
April 30th, 2007 at 1:42 am, khaikhee Says:
looks yummy yummy, i love papayas.
April 30th, 2007 at 2:00 am, Genie Says:
Skeet, I used to have a papaya tree in our yard when we lived in Nigeria…that fresh papaya was incredible. So delicious! I never realized it was a berry.
April 30th, 2007 at 2:39 am, seedling Says:
I had no idea papayas were berries! There’s a thai salad made with shaved green papaya that I’m partial to. I think we both get bonus points for posting on time this week!
April 30th, 2007 at 3:25 am, Ottawa Gardener Says:
Why I like this blog: It’s always informative and it makes me very, very jealous but you can’t grow peaches right? Right? (However neither can I…)
April 30th, 2007 at 5:39 am, kristi Says:
What an interesting post! Thanks for the great info.
April 30th, 2007 at 12:51 pm, Dawn Says:
I never thought much about how papaya grew. Great information! They are much bigger than I thought!
April 30th, 2007 at 7:37 pm, skeet Says:
Yes, the experience and the papayas caught my attention, gardenmomma! Now you should go find some papayas and try them out for yourself!
April 30th, 2007 at 7:44 pm, skeet Says:
I’ve been researching local food and medicinal-use plants for my last few GTS posts, Michelle. I didn’t know that they came from Mexico either, until I decided to write about them this week.
Definite thumbs-up on papaya for baby food. Well, your pediatrician may need to approve, but folks here fatten their babies on papaya and poi, lol! Both very digestible!
April 30th, 2007 at 7:46 pm, skeet Says:
They are tasty, khaikhee. I still eat them, but would eat a lot more if they weren’t forever connected to “hospital food” in my memory!
April 30th, 2007 at 7:50 pm, skeet Says:
I get most of my papaya fresh from a neighbor’s tree, Genie, and still warm from the sun. You’re right - that’s the best! I really need to save some seeds next time and start growing my own!
April 30th, 2007 at 7:56 pm, skeet Says:
I didn’t know that papaya were berries either, seedling, until I researched the post. Also didn’t know that the seeds are peppery and that some societies use them that way. Forgot to put it in the post, lol!
My closest friend almost always orders green papaya salad when we eat Thai.
April 30th, 2007 at 8:01 pm, skeet Says:
Hm, not sure about the peaches, Ottawa Gardener. I don’t recall ever seeing them here, but there are plenty of citrus trees. A lof of my New Orleans neighbors used to grow peaches and citrus along side each other, so does that prove that peaches could grow here, too? Too late in the day for me to figure it out, lol!
April 30th, 2007 at 8:04 pm, skeet Says:
You’re quite welcome, kristi! My purpose in life is to entertain and inform, lol! :0D
April 30th, 2007 at 8:07 pm, skeet Says:
I’m glad you found the post informative, Dawn. Yes, papayas grow pretty tall … and funny looking!