Fresh Exotic Fruits

Fresh Exotic Fruits Papaya, Lychees, and Loquats

Papaya is a tropical fruit that is popular in India. It has a peculiar aroma and texture, but when tossed with spices and lime juice, it is enjoyable. Depending on the variety, the skin ranges from greenish-yellow to golden-orange. The flesh is golden orange to salmon-red color and very soft, juicy, and silky. When you cut open a papaya, you will see shiny round black seeds. When ripe, papaya will slightly yield to pressure. Store unripe papayas at room temperature for a few days until they soften and are ready to eat. You may refrigerate ripe papayas for up to three days. Papaya are good sources of vitamins A and C, which are bother needed for a healthy immune system so we can prevent getting the cold or flu.

Serves 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Refrigerator life: 1 hour (Tastes best freshly tossed and served.)

1 papaya

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Juice of 2 limes

1 Wash and peel the papaya with a vegetable peeler. Cut off both ends and discard. Cut the papaya in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.

2 Cut each half lengthwise down the middle. Cut each segment crosswise into about 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces

3 Place the papaya pieces in a shallow bowl. Add the salt, black pepper, and lime juice. Mix well and serve.

FRESH LYCHEES Lychees might be intimidating to eat, but are actually a fun and delicious fruit that can help relieve an annoying cough, fight acne, nourish and refine your skin. On our trips to India as a child, I remember seeing a bunch of fresh lychees on my grandmother’s dining table in her veranda. All you have to do is pick a lychee off the bunch and use your fingers to peel the thick red skin off. It's easy if you start at the stem end and pry the skin away from there. Inside there will be white fleshy fruit that you can eat. There will be a black pit inside there that you'll discard. Enjoy!

FRESH LOQUATS Loquat plants are very popular in India and China, but are often grown as ornamental trees in the United States. In the spring, I see fruit filled loquat trees all around my neighborhood. I often wonder if the owners know they can actually enjoy eating the fruit, since there are so many yellow loquat clusters pulling down the branches. The fruit has a thin edible yellow skin, with pale yellow flesh inside surrounding two to four oval seeds. You can pop a whole loquat in your mouth, and the discard the seeds. Loquats have anti-cancer fighting properties and are a good source of vitamin A, which is good for healthy eyes.