PAPAYA FRUIT - Carica papaya

Sorry guys, fruit again! Could not resist after I saw this being cut open. It is, of course, from our garden!

This delicious fruit has a central cavity filled with edible seeds. It is melon-like, oval to nearly round, and the skin is waxy and thin but tough. It becomes yellow when ripe, the thick wall of flesh becomes aromatic, yellow, orange or various shades of red.

Papaya Fruit can be eaten as a melon, or used in fruitsalad and when unripe, cooked as a vegetable, and a friend surprised me just this past weekend, with papaya jam, dééélicious!

The seeds have a similar flavor as capers, quite peppery.

The green fruit, stems and leaves contain a gummy, milky, white latex, which contains the enzyme papain, this protein-dissolving substance is widely used for stomach and digestive disorders, as a meat tenderizer, and in chewing gum. Some of the vitamins and minerals found in papaya are: calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, beta-carotene, B-vitamins and vitamins A, C and E.