Do You Know How to Ripen Papaya Faster? Follow These Easy Steps

Fresh papaya is absolutely a delight, but if it’s too premature, you’re going to have to wait a while for this tasty fruit to become fully ripe. This is a hassle many people can relate to. However, if you’re someone who gets a little impatient, there are a few different ways to ripen up your papaya much faster. Three of the most common tricks include putting your papaya in a paper bag, putting it in rice and wrapping it in a cotton cloth. By taking advantage of these easy tips, ripening papaya will be a quick and easy job.

Put your papaya in a brown paper bag

If you’re confused as to how to ripen papaya quickly, simply start by acquiring a brown paper bag. Why does this work? Every kind of fruit known to man has ethylene, a natural gas that gets released as it the fruit ages. Now, when you put your papaya in this paper bag, the bag holds the gases in and thus speeds up the ripening process. However, it’s important to ensure the bag remains dry, away from the sun and is always in room temperature. This will ensure the ripening process occurs as quick as possible. Just be sure to check on the papaya once or twice a day!

Stick your papaya in rice

Like mentioned above, fruits release the gas ethylene. By submerging your papaya in rice, the fumes will get trapped and the ripening process will again happen at a much faster and more effective rate. It is important to note that using this method should only be used for papayas that have a hard skin. If your papayas have softer skin, you’ll either want to use the paper bag method or the following method, the cotton cloth.

The kind of rice that you decide to submerge your papaya in will not mater in the least bit. It doesn’t matter if it’s brown rice, wild rice or even white rice. They all work just as effectively as the next one. This rice process can also be applied to avocados as well.

Wrap your papaya in a cotton cloth

To speed up the ripening process using this method, you’ll first need a linen cloth or a cotton cloth of some sort. Make sure the cloth you choose is clean. Once you have your linen or cotton cloth, find yourself a nice flat surface to lay your cloth out on. Spread it out evenly and lay your papaya onto the cloth. It’s important to note that you should always lay your papaya onto the cloth with the stem side pointing downward.

Another thing you’ll want to do is give each fruit lying on the cloth a little space between each other. After you have all the fruit laying on the cloth, you’ll now want to cover the fruit with that same cloth. If the cloth is not big enough to completely wrap the fruit, you’ll want to use another cloth made of the same material to help ensure your papaya is totally wrapped. This method, along with the paper bag method, is great for papayas with a softer skin.

All of these methods listed above can be also be used for a wide selection of other fruits including lemons, limes, cranberries, pomegranates, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, watermelons, oranges, blackberries and many other kinds of fruits as well. Although these methods for speeding up the ripening process work well, you’ll also want to take advantage of the tips listed below. By doing so, you can prevent your papaya turn out great.

Special tips for the ripening process

There are a few things that you’ll want to keep in mind when you’re ripening your papaya. First, what is the right temperature to ripen your papaya? The proper temperature should be between 72 to 82°F. By ripening your papaya at this average temperature, your papaya will not only have a good-looking skin, they’ll also be extremely tasty as well.

Check out: What Does Papaya Taste Like? A Guide to Enjoying This Exotic Fruit

Ripening your papaya above the temperature of 86°F will simply put your fruit in a retarded state. There is no reason for the temperature to be this high. In fact, ripening your papaya at this temperature can lead to mushy fruit and eventually rotting.

Another thing that you’ll want to keep in mind is that papayas that have been previously stored in a room with a temperature of 50°F will ripen faster. This is why it’s best to buy your papayas from a grocery store or market that keeps their fruit in an area with a temperature of 50°F.

In addition to this, you can also apply an Ethylene treatment of 10 to 100 ppm to help speed up the ripening process. Once you begin ripening with ethylene, the process will then take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. If after you apply an Ethylene treatment you keep the room a temperature of 72 to 82°F, your papayas will be ripe in 1 to 2 weeks.

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Allison

Allison Cartwright has been writing professionally since 2009. Cartwright has published several eBooks on craft and garden-related subjects. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas.