Papaya and more papaya

This past year as the organic garden was going in and Juan Carlos was living at my house it seemed, ( I loved it-hope it happens again JC) we planted some fruit trees as well. Bananas, papayas, meyer lemon, key limes, pineapple, kumquats and tangerines. I was watching and watching and you the know the expression, a watched pot never boils...well I didn't look for about 2 weeks and 2 days ago I pulled off two grand papayas! Ripe, huge and just gorgeous. Well I like papayas, for their health benefits which are many, and like the taste, however for some reason I cannot get enough of these two. I believe as with the garden that when something comes from your land and you know how it was grown, clean and pure, the pride is immense and the flavors are so much more intense when no pesticides are used.

I guess the body is talking and I am listening...I have eaten both of these two papyas within 2 days. I go to bed thinking about them and wake up heading straight for the kitchen to make another papaya smoothie. My simple recipe is as follows...(though you can add any fruit you desire such as mango and pineapple with a little banana, that would be incredible as well)

1 cup papaya to 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/4 of a banana, 1 tsp flaxseed oil and 1 tsp coconut oil with some ice blended in. I have lived on this and some fresh juicing the last 2 days. I feel like I am glowing with great health as papaya is full of anti-oxidants, beta-carotene, vitamins C, A, and the B vitamins, folate, minerals, potassium, and magnesium, as well as fiber. It also carries digestive enzymes within it, similiar to pineapple. Our body has a lot to teach us about eating well. We just need to listen. xo ginny

ps if your hands turn a little orange from all the beta-carotene- no worries...