Solo Papaya
Is't Ripe
How to ripen
Don’t refrigerate before it’s ripe! The Solo papaya comes from the tropics and doesn’t like the cold.
Keep it out on the kitchen counter at 70 to 80 degrees to ripen.
Ripen faster by putting in a paper bag with an apple or banana. This works because apples and bananas emit a natural gas called ethylene which helps the ripening process. Solos are sensitive to this and ripen faster in the proximity of these fruit.
Is the Solo papaya ripe?
You can start enjoying this papaya when It’s 50% yellow and when it gives to a gentle squeeze. Once fully yellow, enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
This is a sweet fruit, 12 to 13 on the Brix scale. It sweetens as it ripens. So keep a close eye on your Solo, the yellower the sweeter.
Sometimes gaining sweeter levels leaves blemishes on the skin of the papaya. Usually these blemishes are a peel away or easily skimmed away with a knife.
Ethylene Production & Sensitivity: High
Shelf Life: Once ripe, the papaya should be used within two to three days.
Brooks Availability: Year-round
Brooks Origin: Brazil
Storage Temperature: 50° – 55°F
Storage Humidity: 85% – 95%The best signage…
Shows 1 whole Solo and 2 halves in front. 1 half with a slice of lime and the other half with other fruits inside.
Touts how this is a sweet fruit.
Tells when it’s ripe, starting at 50% yellow when it gives to a gentle squeeze.
GTIN: 00081679-234002
PLU: 3111
Case counts: 6-12 counts
Net box weight: 8.8 -10#
Pallet count: 144
Enjoy the color red in what you eat
Papayas have what you’d expect, a myriad of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients, but the nutritional ante is upped when it comes to foods with red and orange pigments.
What tomatoes, watermelons, red peppers and papayas have in common. The color red gives more than a vibrant color. The naturally occurring orange and red pigments are called carotenoids.
Why carotenoids are important. Primary dietary carotenoids include lutein, beta-carotene, lycopene and beta-cryptoxanthin, all of which act as antioxidants in the body. As antioxidants, they tamp down inflammation and can be effective as cancer-fighting agents. Results from a variety of epidemiological studies indicate that a high intake of lycopene-rich foods can reduce the risk of several types of cancers, most notably prostate cancer.
Seeing red may make you mad. Eating red helps make you healthy.
Taste: Similar to a melon in flavor, Solo papayas are juicy and very sweet, providing a fragrant but not a musky aroma.
Growing: Brazil
Season: Year-round.
Selection: Papayas yield to gentle pressure when ripe. Their skin should be smooth and unblemished.
Ripe: It’s ripe starting at 50% yellow when it gives to a gentle squeeze.
Open: Slice in half, discard the seeds.
Season
