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)