Another Weird fruit for the year

A New Year’s Resolution that I recommit to every year is to buy produce that I’ve never prepared before or even know what it is. From doing this I discovered the Kabocha squash- when sprinkled with cinnamon, butter, raisins and brown sugar it reminds me of a pumpkin pie. (click for 2010 resolutions)

(The papaya is in the foreground and the kabocha squash is the green looking pumpkin.)

Last week I bought my first ever papaya and it was a bust. I didn’t know how to tell if it was ripe. I was guessing it needed be tender like an avocado, but all of the papayas in the store were very firm. I went ahead and bought it, chopped it up and blah! It was super crunchy and tasted like nothing.

If you have any advise on picking papayas, please let me know. They are a super food, so I want to eat some everyday.