Pamela Boyar is in the right business. As owner of FarmLovers Farmers Markets, which holds four markets across Oahu each week, she works with dozens of local food producers who bring all manner of fresh foods to market, from colorful veggies to local meats.

“For me, food is medicine,” she said.

Boyar fills her diet with these local foods, and to make the most of their healthfulness, she takes care with flavoring them as well. For salads, that means homemade dressings.

“I never use bottled dressings,” she said emphatically. “To me, the oils taste rancid. I’m picky at restaurants, too.”

Boyar’s taste buds have steered her right. There’s almost no downside to making your own dressing: They’re fast and easy, and customizable. Plus they can be made for pennies on the dollar, without the excess sugar, salt and chemicals of the bottled stuff.

Start with an oil — olive, avocado, sunflower, flaxseed, sesame, whatever you want — and an acid — think any balsamic, apple cider, rice or white wine vinegar, or citrus juice. Add salt, honey, mustard, yogurt or whatever herbs and spices you like. Or add nothing at all.

Boyar was led to her latest dressing recipe a couple months ago while eating papaya and pondering the waste of discarding the seeds. A couple weeks later, she started eating them and found they were peppery. And there’s a bonus: Studies show the seeds have been effective in treating human intestinal parasites.

Fueled by this information, Boyar took to the kitchen to experiment with papaya seed dressing. She came up with her own Asian version, an absolutely delicious concoction that embodies the sweetness of basic papaya seed dressing, rounded out by the nutty richness of sesame oil. A zing of fresh ginger punctuates the flavor.

“The great thing is that papaya is available all year, so you can enjoy this anytime,” she said.

The added virtue of the recipe is that aside from the brown rice vinegar and sesame oil, all the ingredients can be sourced locally, from the fresh papaya and ginger to the honey and salt.

Boyar also shared a vinaigrette version that calls for olive oil and sherry vinegar.

TYPES OF DRESSINGS

>> Vinaigrette: In its simplest form, a dressing made of oil and vinegar. These are considered “suspension mixtures,” which means they must be mixed to incorporate the oil and vinegar, and will eventually separate again. Vinaigrettes are light and thin, suited to delicate greens and vegetables.

>> Emulsified vinaigrette: An emulsion is a mixture that permanently stays together. These vinaigrettes won’t separate like regular vinaigrettes. Emulsifying ingredients include Dijon mustard, honey, miso, tomato paste, mayonnaise and egg yolks.

>> Mayonnaise-based dressings: Typically creamy dressings, such as Russian, Thousand Island and blue cheese

>> Mayonnaise: Thickest emulsified dressing, it contains a higher ratio of oil to vinegar and more egg yolks than used in an emulsified vinaigrette.

(Source: National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation)

ASIAN-STYLE PAPAYA SEED DRESSING

By Pamela Boyar

• 1/2 cup fresh local papaya, cut in cubes
• 3 tablespoons raw papaya seeds (from about 1/2 of a papaya)
• 1/4 cup organic brown rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon local honey
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated or diced ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon local sea salt
• 1/3 cup sesame oil
• Herbs of choice (optional)

Place papaya and papaya seeds in a blender and puree until smooth. Add vinegar, honey, ginger and salt; continue to blend.

Lower blender speed and slowly add sesame oil to emulsify (thicken the dressing). Add herbs if using. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Makes about 10 (2-tablespoon) servings.

PAPAYA SEED VINAIGRETTE

By Pamela Boyar

• 1/2 cup fresh local papaya, cut in cubes
• 3 tablespoons raw papaya seeds (from about 1/2 of a papaya)
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon local honey
• 1/4 teaspoon local sea salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Herbs of choice (optional)

Place papaya and papaya seeds in a blender and puree until smooth. Add vinegar, honey and salt; continue to blend.

Lower blender speed and slowly add olive oil to emulsify. Add herbs if using. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Makes about 10 (2-tablespoon) servings.

Nutritional information unavailable.