Sunny Side of Grey

If a team of designers would spend 6 months building a 2.5-ton fake sun to hoist over Trafalgar Square in London for only one day to cheer up the masses and rid them of their atmospheric gloom, I think it gives credibility to my theory that a lack of sunshine equals a serious case of the blahs.

An article by Emma Reynolds from The Daily Mail explains that the fake sun was an art installation created by public art group Greyworld.  The spectacular globe rose at 6:51am. and set at 7:33pm extending “daylight” in the area by 3 hours.  It could reach more than 100C at it’s core and produced the equivalent light of 60,000 light bulbs.

The project was sponsored by Tropicana to promote it’s “Brighter Morning” juice campaign.

We still have another month or two of dreariness to get through here in Canada before we start to see the light.  What this place lacks in sunshine, warmth and chirping birds, it makes up for in darkness, cold and raccoons breaking into your attic.

I’ve been trying to fake a bit of sunshine myself for a little happiness boost.  I bought a new make-up bronzer with a dazzling, smiling sun right in the center of the compact to give my sullen winter skin a fresh, tanned glow.

Surely with a brand name like “Physician’s Formula” it would be clinically proven to transport me to a tropical getaway with the mere stroke of a make-up brush!?!  It transported me to my office cubical…faulty bronzer.

In keeping with the theme, let’s give baby a little sunshine with a no cook puree that incorporates some island favourites…papaya, mango and the always equatorial banana!

At first I wondered what the easiest and best ways would be to peel and prepare a mango and papaya because they weren’t fruits that I often used.  Here are some instructional videos if you are like I was…not so sure.

Papayas have a thin, non-edible skin.  The fruit has a mild sweet flavour and its texture is similar to a cantaloupe but softer.  You can tell a papaya is ripe if it feels as soft, or softer than a ripe avocado when applying light finger pressure, and the skin is amber or orange in colour.  Make sure to choose a nicely ripened papaya for this baby food puree.  If it doesn’t seem ripe enough after you’ve brought it home you can always put it into a brown paper bag outside of the fridge to speed up the ripening process if you like.  This is true for mangos as well.  Papayas are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium, vitamin A and fiber.

The mango is nicknamed “the peach of the tropics” because of its mild-flavoured taste similar to the peach, but can be more acidic with a surprising spicy taste.  A ripe mango emits a sweet scent and yields to gentle finger pressure.  Mangos are an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin C and a good source of potassium.

My go to resource for these and many other food facts is “The Visual Food Lover’s Guide” published by John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Island Baby

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         1 ripe Papaya

·         2 ripe Mangos

·         Mashed banana to add to puree just before serving

Baby Steps

·         Follow instructional videos above to peel and seed mango and papaya, then chop into small pieces.

·         Add fruit to a food processor, blender or large bowl to use a hand blender to puree.

·         Puree to a smooth thin consistency.  Feel free to add a little bit of water to the mix if the puree isn’t thin enough.

·         The mango and papaya puree can be transferred to freezing trays to be used within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to be used within 48 hours.

·         When you’re ready to serve to baby, stir in a bit of freshly mashed banana to the puree for an over the top tropical experience…or maybe just a bit of added sweetness.

Makes approx. 11 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

All this talk of island fruits and skin bronzers is starting to revive me…I wonder if my husband will build me a 2.5 ton fake sun?