"ripeness" news and stories

By this time of the year, markets and grocery stores are overflowing with a gorgeous array of melons. There are a few ways to know when your melon is ripe. They involve understanding that there are two classes of melon: the muskmelons and the watermelons.

A University of Arizona professor is turning the process of selecting a price of fruit from "an art [to] a science." He has come up with a new way to help let people know when fruit is ripe and ready for eating, eliminating all that sniffing, poking and prodding of fruits in the market. His creation is a sticker called RediRipe that changes from white to blue as ethylene gas, a natural ripeness indicator, is released from the fruit or vegetable.

The first batch of the stickers will go straight to growers, who will be able to use them to monitor their crops and prevent spoilage of over-ripe fruits by shipping out the fruits ripening the fastest, first. It is worth mentioning that the stickers do not change to indicate overripe fruit themselves, so something that is "ripe" according to the sticker, may actually be too soft on the inside.

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The papaya is easily one of the prettiest and most eye-catching tropical fruits widely available today. Whenever I have people over for brunch I try to set one out. The limes aren't just there for decoration, either. The acidity of the lime juice compliments the melon-like sweetness of the papaya perfectly. The variety here is likely a Mexican Red papaya, which is much larger than the pear-sized Hawaiian varieties. Some say the latter are more intensely flavored, but for my time and effort, the larger varieties are the way to go. They yield much more meat, are easier to peel and serve and, of course, make for a very impressive presentation. When ripe, a papaya will be mostly yellow on the outside and yield slightly to the touch. Remember, the lime juice is key. Papayas also contain an enzyme called papain, which supposedly settles the stomach and helps all sorts of digestive ailments.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]