My flip flop with papaya

Do you have fruits which you once detested as a child and turned around to love them when you grew up? I have many, but papaya leapfrogs the others. Often I reason that most of which I loathed back then happened to the ones excessively available or grown at home. The novelty fades and so does the taste.

We had almost ten papaya trees (with young ones growing around them) that would fruit profusely. Nearly every meal had papaya in it - salad, main course, desserts - in its raw or ripe avatar. No sooner did I smell the fruit at the dining table than I switched off and felt no hunger. I've been on hunger strikes to oppose papayas in my meals. Nonetheless, I was petrified of Ma. One grim look from Ma, and the food went right down my food pipe grudgingly. In some rare moments I would underhandedly sift through the serving on my plate, and dole out chunks to our dog under the table. I never got caught but I have a feeling she knew what I did. Mothers always know!

What is puzzling is that many years later, I have discovered a new found love for papayas. I don't quite remember how the U turn happened but raw or ripe, I find it both edible and tasty. now. During my trip back home, Ma stood stunned and amused when I told her I photographed the papaya tree and savored the fruit in my salad. Promptly, Ma conveyed her utter amazement to Dad who enthusiastically offered to pack a papaya plant for my balcony garden in Delhi.
Goodness, growing papayas in containers ! Now, that I call is far-fetched.

The fruit has high nutritional benefits and is a powerhouse of vitamins. A proteolytic enzyme called papain (highly concentrated in the skin of raw papaya) aids digestion and is highly recommended. The fruit has remarkable anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing properties besides being rich in dietary fiber, foliate, vitamin A, C, E, carotene, calcium and iron.

Papayas can be grown from seeds. They grow fast but needs care in its early stages. They love tropical climate and need lot of sunlight, water and good soil mix. Papaya plants can be either male, female or bisexual. The male does not produce fruit, so to be sure you'll have to plant extra ones. The plants/trees starts flowering when they are little over a meter tall. The flowers on the male plant can be recognized from the heavy blooms and slender stalks, while female plants have a single large bloom, and short stems. Papaya trees need nitrogen rich fertilizers and fruit all the year round except in peak winters. The trees grows weaker and yields less as they age so new plants every three years is ideal.