jueves, 21 de abril de 2011

That Other Orange Fruit

I'm not a big fan of papaya. It's right up there with cantaloupe, where only 1 in about 15 has decent flavor. Yes, that flavor is excellent, but it's not worth going through the other 14 flavorless ones. And, unlike cantaloupe, which is (usually) simply flavorless, non-sweet papayas taste like nail polish remover. Ugh. So I generally only eat papaya at the in-laws'.

However, Patty is now buying half a papaya every other day. Even though Clara thinks it's the best thing ever, I only feel compelled to eat my share because all that papaya will go bad if I don't. And, let's face it, I don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. So when someone buys me fruit and also cuts it up for me, I can't really say no.

The other day Patty bought a really, really ripe one. It was still good to eat, but wouldn't be for long. The texture was fast passing an acceptable level of smushiness for me (smushy fruit . . . gack!). As we had a good quarter of the papaya left for the following day, I was left with the dilemma of what to do with it so it would survive until the next day.

Solution? Freeze it!

Smushy factor? Gone!

Flavor? Not significantly diminished by the freezer, and as it was a decent papaya, that was OK.

Bonus? Unlike most foods eaten frozen, it has none of that icy consistency. Rather, it's a bit creamy, like ice cream. And right about now, I need anything that can distract me from my ice cream cravings. A 100% healthy option? Awesome.

Thanks to the magic of the freezer, papaya has gone from being one of my least favorite fruits to one of my favorites. The fact that is comes in such large quantities is also no longer daunting, either.

Way to go, papaya. Maybe one of these days, I'll even voluntarily buy one.

4 comentarios :

Crazy Rita dijo...

Perhaps I should try the same thing with ***eewwww ish**** olives.

Jackie dijo...

When I first moved to Mexico, I couldn't stand papaya. I thought it smelled like vomit. But then I started liking and I agree with you, quite often it is flavorless. I make "agua de papaya" when we have a not very sweet one. Just cut it up and throw it in the blender, add some sugar and water and taa daaaa!

Jill dijo...

Rita--ewww, frozen olives?!? Don't do it, don't do it! I'll send my daughter over to eat your olives for you!

Jackie--really? You think it's better when made into agua? Maybe I'll let the hubs try that instead of just freezing it all. I'm not sure he adds sugar, though. I'll do that on the sly!

Krystal L. dijo...

What did I miss here, who is Patty? And I detest most tropical fruits, that is going to have to change down there.