How To Ripen Papaya Fruit? [FAST TIPS]

I buy papaya from time to time and every now and then some of them don’t ripen.

So, I wanted to know if there are any ways to ensure my papaya ripens after it’s been picked

I did some research and here’s what I found.

Certain fruits such as bananas are housed in ethylene gas storage once they arrive at their destination to initiate ripening.

Then the ethylene content is strictly monitored.

In this article I will explain whether papayas ripen after being picked, the main factors that influence how fast papayas ripen, what fruits will ripen other fruits and whether fruit ripens after it’s picked.

Do Papayas Ripen After Being Picked?

Certain fruits will ripen after being harvested such as bananas.

So, I was interested in whether papayas ripen if you pick them when they’re still green…

Most people are of the opinion that papaya will eventually ripen even when picked green.

But, it can seem to take forever. I tend to get papaya that has yellow streaks, and only pick papaya when it has a bit of yellow on the skin.

People have suggested that green papaya will ripen but it won’t ripen properly, and won’t be as sweet.

I notice this as well when I get bananas that are a bit green.

When I get bananas that are almost all yellow they taste much sweeter than bananas that I get with a bit of green on the stalk.

After I let them ripen to be completely yellow, they aren’t as bright yellow and have a different texture.

Rather than being soft and mushy, they are still quite firm.  The same is true for papayas and it’s best to let the tree ripen as much as possible.

Taking care not to lose too many of them to birds.  It’s generally best to pick them before they get completely ripe.

That way you can keep them inside away from birds or other animals and insects.

Certain papaya you buy can seem to take forever to ripen.

And you may be wondering why it isn’t ripening.

There are a few factors that will cause papaya to ripen.

As you may know, you can eat green papaya.

It is a very popular dish in Thailand where it’s called papaya salad.

It has the taste and texture of a vegetable.

It’s common at some grocery stores that papayas are sold to be used green before they ripen.

And therefore they are picked very early on purpose. It’s best to not buy these ones if you’re wanting to eat ripe papaya.

They’re easy to identify because the skin is completely green.

Certain fruits are better than others at causing them to ripen faster.

And some fruits are also unaffected by ethylene that’s produced by ripening fruits.

Here are the fruits that aid other fruits to ripen and cause them to ripen faster.

The following fruits and vegetables will ripen faster when next to the ethylene producing fruits above:

• Apples
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cantaloupe
• Collard Greens
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Grapes
• Honeydew
• Kiwi
• Lemons
• Lettuce
• Limes
• Mangos
• Onions
• Peaches
• Pears
• Peppers
• Squash
• Sweet Potatoes
• Watermelon

And here’s the fruit and vegetables that are unaffected by fruits that cause ripening:

Therefore, it’s wise to keep the above fruits and vegetables away from the list of other fruits above.

Apples and bananas are very common.

In fact, bananas are the most popular fruit worldwide.

I recently showed what the most popular fruits are in the world and in the USA.

Read it here: how many fruits and vegetables are there

You might have noticed that some of the fruits on the list of fruits that cause other fruits to ripen are what most people would call vegetables.

Such as tomatoes, and peppers.

However, they are in fact fruits.

There are many fruits that are called vegetables.

Interestingly, the way to tell them apart is that vegetables are the roots, leaves, and stems of plants.

Whereas, fruits are the seed pods.

For example, beans, pumpkin, and eggplant are all fruits.

At certain times you may want to cut fruit before it’s ripe, for example, if you want to use it in a savoury dish.

But, does fruit continue to ripen after it’s cut?

You may have noticed that if you leave some slices of apple, bananas, or carrot out they will start to turn a brown color.

They still remain good to eat for a few hours.

But, in most climates, the fruit will begin to dry out and become almost stale.

The cut part of the fruit can also become harder than the flesh of the fruit.

The good news is that the outer layer mostly keeps the flesh of the fruit fresh.

And if you leave them for a few days, you may decide it’s better to cut off the outer part of the fruit that is a bit tougher now, and only eat the freshest, best-tasting part.

Papaya can grow very large, and so even when you cut one in half you might only feel like eating one half of it.

Or, you might be adding a small amount to a dessert or breakfast.

So, you’ll be left with some cut papaya that is ideally kept in the fridge.

But, how long can cut papaya be kept in the fridge?

Papaya can also be frozen, however, once you defrost it the texture won’t be nice or good to eat.

Therefore, it’s only good to freeze papaya if you intend to use it for baking, smoothies, and jams.

Frozen papaya can last for 6 months or more. Provided it doesn’t get everyone’s favorite – freezer burn!

There are a few ways to limit freezer burn, which I explained in full detail in an article about whether you can freeze fruit. Read it here: can fresh fruit be frozen.

Another good way to preserve papaya is to dry it.

As you may know, there are specialist fruit dryers which you can use in your home.

However, drying it will remove some of the nutrients, and the healthiest way to eat papaya is fresh.

I’ve eaten my fair share of papayas, some were perfectly ripe, whereas others weren’t quite ripe and I had to throw some of it away.

So, I thought I’d explain how to tell when a papaya is ripe.

The skin will also tend to turn from green to yellow as it ripens.

Or, at the very least have some yellow streaks on the skin. You will notice that papayas can ripen unevenly.

Parts of the papaya can be ripe, while other parts will still be hard.

For example, the area around the top and bottom of the papaya can still be quite firm and unripe, whereas, towards the middle part of the fruit it’s soft to the touch, sweet, and ripe.