4 • June 2015 • UPBEAT TIMES Eat Well & Prosper!


they bear fruit within 3 years. How the pa-


is un-


ceous plant. Pa- paya came to paya is a mem- Hawaii


ber of a very small family (two genera, maybe, twenty-two species) very closely related to the passion fruit. The fruit was fi rst cultivated in Mexico, cen- turies before the emergence of the great Mesoamerican civi- lizations. Columbus was in- troduced to the papaya in the Caribbean. He anointed them the “fruit of the angels”. The “tree melon” is now


avidly grown in all warm cli- mates. Any temperature below 29 degrees can be fatal! The fruit is naturalized throughout the Caribbean, Florida, and in several African countries. Ranked third in world-wide production, behind the banana and citrus fruit, the leading


certain. The Solo variety was introduced in 1919 and has been im- proved upon since becoming an important export crop. This variety is pear-shaped and golden yellow when ripe. Sunrise Solo, developed at the University of Hawaii, has a reddish-pink color and a fl a- vor resembling strawberries. Papayas are easily grown from seed, with many backyards on the islands containing a few plants. The Solo varieties are the


Fruit of the Angels With Executive Chef Ron Skaar ~ ronskaar@comcast.net ~ 707-490-7636


Cloverdale, CA. ~ Native to producers now are India and Central and northern South


Brazil. Papayas grow very


America the rapidly, only female plants are papaya looks cultivated, and like a small tree but is actually a large herba-


fruits most frequently available at the market. Larger and not as sweet, the Mexican papaya can reach 2 feet and weigh 10 pounds. An Ecuadorian hy- brid, the Baba- co, is extreme- ly juicy, with cream-colored


fl esh contain- ing hints of pineapple and its skin is ed- ible. Green pa- payas are used in many Asian preparations though they


lack any of the sweet fl avor of the ripe fruit.


Cooks in the Caribbean Islands wrap meat in the pa- paya leaves which contain the natural tenderizer papain. This enzyme, which is also an aid in digestion and used in the pharmacy, is only present in the leaves and juice of the un-


ripe fruit. The ripe papaya is sprinkled with lime and a little sugar and eaten for breakfast in the tropics. Like the avocado, the ripe pa- paya does not travel well, and is picked green. Fortunately, the papaya will ripen at room temp, but will never have the very rich taste of tree ripened fruit. I was fortunate enough to taste straight-off-the tree rip- ened papaya on Maui. Their taste in paradise was phe- nomenal, and got me hooked. When the fruit is slightly soft to the touch (like the avocado) and the skin has turned amber to orange in hue, they’re ripe. This deliciously sweet, soft


butter-like fl esh with musky undertones is one of the health- iest of foods. Papayas are an excellent source of vitamin C (224%RDA), foliate, dietary fi ber, vitamin A, magnesium and potassium. Its oblong cav- ity is fi lled with black-gray glistening seeds, which are white or light gray if the fruit is immature. The softish, ed- ible seeds taste like watercress and pepper. At a few catered events, where


we’ve used an open papaya for garnish, naïve guests have spread the caviar like seeds on crackers. Certainly the worst roe they had ever eaten! Like caviar, the main problem with the papaya is its expense. Mak- ing it even more angelic?


SPINACH AND CURRY VINAIGRETTE


¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce


2 tablespoons honey


EW& P Recipe! PAPAYA WITH BABY


JOKES & Humor # 2


A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again. There was only one problem: The captain’s parrot saw the shows every week and began to understand what the magician did in every trick. Once he understood that, he started shouting in the middle of the show. “Look, it’s not the same hat!” “Look, he’s hiding the fl owers under the table!” “Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades?”The magician was furious but couldn’t do anything, it was the captain’s parrot after all. One day the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood, in the middle of the ocean, and of course the parrot was by his side. They stared at each other with utter dislike, but did not say a word. This went on for several days. After a week the parrot fi nally said, “Okay, I give up. What’d you do with the boat?”


1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar


Salt and freshly ground pepper


1 ¼ pounds peeled, seeded papaya, cut into 1-inch cubes


10 ounces baby spinach ¼ cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds


1 lime


Combine fi rst four ingredients in blender until emulsifi ed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the papaya and spinach with the dressing. Sprinkle salad with pumpkin seeds and accompany with lime wedges. Serves 6. Add roasted chicken for heartier salad.


POP’S AFFORDABLE ROTOTILLING 707-321-0082


DONALD “POP” McGUIRE


wwwpopsaffordablerototilling.com 4 • June 2015 • UPBEAT TIMES How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone. ~Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel


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