• Spinach
• Squash Blossoms
• Kale Flowers
• Peppermint
• Spearmint
• Spring Onions
• Green garlic
• Oregano
• Sage
• Lemon Verbena
• Papaya
• Basil

Papaya:

Papaya cut

A very rare and special treat this week: papayas! This tropical fruit is grown in one of our greenhouses and is one of the first of papayas grown in Virginia. Papayas are known for being a healthy food and for containing unique digestive enzymes that help the body process proteins. Papayas contain vitamins C, A, E, K, several of the B vitamins and many minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium. As an excellent source of these nutrients, papaya can be helpful to our health in prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Being a good source of fiber, papaya can help lower high cholesterol levels and may be beneficial in prevention of colon cancer. Immune support and anti-inflammatory effects can assist in cases of asthma and arthritis.  Papayas are well known for containing papain, a digestive enzyme which is extracted for making supplements.

The simplest way to enjoy the slightly sweet and musky flavor of the creamy flesh is to cut your papaya in half and clean out the insides of any seeds or coating, then scoop out bites with a spoon. The half can also be cut into slices like a cantaloupe. If cubing for a salad, salsa, roast or smoothie, then remove the outer skin before use in your recipe.

Recipes ranged from simple to intricate with suggestions to pair with lime juice and/or mint being common, as well as ideas for salads, salsas and chutney. One salsa recipe was simply chopped onion, lemon juice, chopped papaya, diced mint and seasoning of salt and pepper. Often paired with meats like fish and chicken, it was sometimes featured in a chicken stir fry or elegantly sliced atop a filet of fish. Consider a complementary papaya salsa this week taking advantage of the onion and mint in your CSA share.

To your health and pleasure!

Papaya in Greenhouse

Everybody thinks we just sit around in the snow, drinking our moonshine or power dunk into the hot tub to maintain. Well, the hot tub is the only truth about that last sentence…the heat generated externally and internally is important. Right now, my Triple Burner is out of whack because of the deadly pharmaceutical concoction the state has me on, so adding some papaya to my diet is not a bad idea because i am pre-diabetic. Here is a recipe to help you get started in exploring the fresh flavor of papaya from EPICURIOUS.COM:

•  1/2 large pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
•  1 medium papaya, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
•  1/2 large cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
•  1 11-ounce can peeled whole lychees in heavy syrup, drained, halved lengthwise
•  1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved
•  1/2 cup seedless green grapes, halved
•  Papaya-Mint Sauce
• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded or flaked coconut, toasted
• Fresh mint sprigs

“Be Strong! like bull!”, you might hear my Dad say, with a twinkle in his eye, when trying something new, something questionable. Imagine embodying your favorite power animal or your favorite tree as you invigorate your entire system with healthy food…it becomes a part of you and what you think about it is important. Our thoughts matter just as much as the food we put into our bodies. So, with that in mind, karate chop your sugar, kick start your system and try some papaya this evening for a cool summer flavor from the tropical world. Turn on some calypso, kids, we are sailin’ to th Bahamas! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK1lcpf0HZM

Baby Ginger Cluster fresh from our tunnel greenhouse

Our first crop of baby ginger! Wonderful sweet and tender. Grown as part of our high tunnel research and featured along with our Red Pepper Hot Sauce in the Historic Cutting of the First Virginia Grown Papaya in Williamsburg VA on 11.10.2010. Check out the Ginger Papaya Salsa on http://news.meetthefarmer.tv using Va grown papaya and baby ginger and our Red Pepper Hot Sauce