Papaya Mint Lemonade

It's always fun to take a common everyday thing and to give it a little twist to turn it into something fabulous. I'm not much of a papaya fan but in my effort to add more fruit and vegetable to my diet I have recently started blending up fruit.

Things to know before buying a papaya:

Papaya is a member of the pawpaw family. 

It supplies a whole days worth of vitamin C among other things. 

Take care when buying them as they bruise easily. 

Try to buy one that is soft to touch but not mushy. If you do get an unripe one place it in a paper bag with a banana. The ethylene gas released by the banana will ripen the papaya after which it can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

This recipe is one of those that was created out of necessity. I had a papaya that was going to go bad unless it was used up quick. So I made a papaya lemonade. I hope it gives you an idea on how to use up papayas, or melons that you might have lying around the house.

Recipe
3 cups of papaya
1 cup of lemon juice
1 cup of sugar (add more as needed)
4 1/2  cups of water
1/2 cup of mint
ice cubes (if desired)
Generally half of a large papaya peeled, seeded, and chopped makes 3 cups.

Add lemon juice, water, mint and sugar.

Blend and strain into a pitcher. I don't like lumpy drinks so I strain most everything. Don't strain it if you don't mind a chunk or two of papaya in the drink.

Chill for a few hours, pour into a glass, drink up and pat yourself on the back for adding more fruit to your diet.