In the US, you can find papaya in the produce section at the grocery store. It’s fairly easy to select a good papaya. To know if it’s ripe, choose one that has yellow/orange skin. You can also buy a green papaya and this will ripen in a few days if left on your kitchen counter. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA simple technique to also make sure you buy papaya that’s just right is by gently squeezing the fruit and feeling how ripe it is based on its softness. If it’s very soft, it’s perfect to make your milkshake the same day as it’ll definitely be sweet enough for your drink. Although, avoid buying if any spots feel mushy or damaged. On the other hand, if you’re only finding unripe papayas that feel hard when pressing, that just means you’ll have to wait a couple of days longer to use them.