Monday, July 17, 2017

Papaya and Blueberries Make a Beautiful Fruit Cup




I was having company for dinner the other night and blueberries and papayas were in season.
So I decided to forgo the typical fruit salad that I usually make and instead make a dessert using only the two fruits.

Their complementary colors presented a brilliant contrast that was lovely and appealing . My summer dessert was very extremely easy to make, made a beautiful presentation, and was simply delicious. Of course it was naturally gluten free and vegan as well.

When I served it, I sliced a 2 inch thick piece for each person . Some fresh whipped would make it divine.

We ate it with a fork and knife.
Actually the skin and seeds are edible, but I don't know how good they taste.

I Live Near The Blueberry Capital of the World

We live about an hour from Hammonton, New Jersey which is nicknamed " the blueberry capital of the world." (Google it)  Hammonton is located on the way to the Jersey shore where there over 250 blueberry farms on 8,000 acres of sandy soil.

blueberry bushes 



It wasn't always that way. Fifty years ago, the farms were smaller and served mostly local markets.


However, today I understand that most of our local berries are now contracted to Driscoll.
So, no matter where you live you may very well be eating our local berries.



Years ago when my two sister in laws were still teenagers, I took them blueberry picking on a pick your own farm in Hammonton, NJ .



After picking ( and tasting) for about three hours in the vast sea of blueberry bushes, we went home with quite a haul.





We froze most of them, ate many of them, and made a few batches of blueberry muffins. It was a fun but exhausting. It was the one and only time I picked blueberries.



My dessert reminded me of my blueberry adventures.

Since blueberries are in season, why not make this simple dessert. It's naturally gluten free, low in calories, and rich in appeal.

Remove the seeds from the papaya

I sliced the papaya in two lengthwise and scooped out the waxy round black seeds from the core of the papaya and was left with a large long cavity. I filled it with blueberries.

I placed both the papaya and the blueberries in the refrigerator to chill.


My Notes:
Papaya tastes great with freshly squeezed lime..
Papayas from Hawaii are GMO ( their flesh is yellow)
Papayas from Mexico and Belieze usually are not GMO ( these have a more orange flesh)



How to Freeze Blueberries
Blueberries freeze really well and it's very easy to freeze them.
Simply wash them, dry them well, place them in ziploc freezer bags and freeze them.
Be sure to dry them well so they will not stick together.
Use the frozen berries for smoothies, muffins, pancakes, etc.

I usually freeze them when they are on sale,or whenever I can get organic blueberries at at reasonable price


How to Select a Papaya
Papaya are an extremely nutritious fruit. However, most papayas that come from Hawaii are genetically modified ( GMO) they have yellow fruit inside -
try to look for papayas that come from Mexico or Belieze which are usually not GMO- often called Caribbean Reds and Maradol- they look orange inside.
I found  an article online that explains more about safe Papayas 

Quick Blueberry Mug Muffin



I also found this Youtube that explain how to select a papaya when it's ripe- he talks about the Hawaiian variety (which will be GMO- he doesn't mention that) but he also explains about the Caribbean variety and how to identify it ( which is the non gmo type)









11 comments:

  1. Freshly picked bluerries are the BEST! This is a simple and awesome dessert. Love those berry muffins too.

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    1. Thanks Angie-I haven't been picking my own but I have been getting them at the local farmer's market freshly picked and organic

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  2. An interesting combo, I bet it was yummy.
    Gotta love blueberries, especially in muffins!

    M : )

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    1. I don't usually buy papaya, but I had one and it looked so good with the deep dark blue berries

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  3. Fruits are the best food and these papaya boats with blueberries look wonderful.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Balvinder,
      I agree that fruit is the best food and that the papaya with the blueberries look really good

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  4. What a great combination of Papaya and Blueberries! This will be a very special treat! I sure appreciate you sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

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    Replies
    1. they do look pretty! Thanks for stopping by from Full Plate Thursday

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  5. What a beautiful and easy dessert! Thanks for sharing on Homestead Blog Hop!

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  6. I love this idea., Judee! What a beautiful, tasty and healthy dessert. And how lucky you are to live so close to such an abundant supply of blueberries. They are one of my favourite fruits. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Hearth and Soul. Hope to see you at the party this week. We return from summer break later today!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.

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