Does anyone here eat conventionally grown papaya? I'm thinking of buying it now that I finally found a source of "fresh" whole papaya and because it's on the clean fifteen list. I'm aware that papaya's from Hawaii are mostly GMO due to contamination but luckily the one's in my area are from Guatemala.

According to the EWG - [www.ewg.org] - "Some 89 percent of pineapples, 82 percent of kiwi, 80 percent of papayas, 88 percent of mango and 61 percent of cantaloupe had no residues". Also, since the vast majority of papaya had no residue whatsoever, it makes sense to think that even the one's that tested positive would have very low levels. I know John Kohler made a video once showing his groceries and he bought a fair amount of non-organic papaya.

The PLU code was 3112, if that even matters.

Yes, I do. My box turtles love it and I can buy it for them, when other produce is not available for them. LIke they will only eat tomatoes when they are juicy and not otherwise, same with strawberries.

So, I will share papaya with them.

Tai Wrote:
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> Yes, I do. My box turtles love it and I can buy
> it for them, when other produce is not available
> for them. LIke they will only eat tomatoes when
> they are juicy and not otherwise, same with
> strawberries.
>
> So, I will share papaya with them.


Any tips on how to quickly ripen them? Is the paper bag method the best way?

I never had to use any method. I try to keep them on a counter top, not touching anything with good air circulation . They bruise and are cut easily, which can lead to mold issues. Because they are prone to getting moldy, it is best not to put them inside anything or touch other fruit, based on my experience.

The smaller the papaya, the more likely it was picked too early, so they tend never to properly ripen. The bigger the papaya, the juicier it will be upon ripening. Hence, I pick the biggest papayas I can find.

Also, have you ever eaten a green papaya salad from a Thai restaurant? It is raw and vegan. This is how to order it, if the restaurant is not vegan (in my area, there are several vegan Thai restaurants): no shrimp/fish sauce and no sugar. Once you try one, then you can make your own with a green papaya, which has papain enzyme (always make sure to peel the papaya).

"The smaller the papaya, the more likely it was picked too early, so they tend never to properly ripen. The bigger the papaya, the juicier it will be upon ripening. Hence, I pick the biggest papayas I can find."

What would you consider big? I bought one and it was 2.8 pounds.

"Also, have you ever eaten a green papaya salad from a Thai restaurant?"

I haven't. I very rarely go to restaurants and there are no raw or vegan friendly places where I live.

jtp wrote:
What would you consider big? I bought one and it was 2.8 pounds.

Tai:
I just weighed one and it was 5 pounds. It will be juicy. But I have an even bigger one and it will be even juicier.

I bring up the green papaya salad, because green papaya is considered a health food. So papaya is a bit unusual in that you can eat it either ripe or unripe.

I have been hesitant in buying green papaya but maybe they have health benefits.
I always thought they were not ripe.