PAWPAWS

I tasted my very first pawpaw this September. Slicing through the thin skin of a perfectly ripe one that had just been shaken from the tree, I couldn’t wait to try this unusual fruit. Holding half of the fruit in one hand, I scooped out a small spoonful of the yellow flesh, working around the shiny, bulky seeds. I took my first bite, unsure of what to expect. I was instantly struck by the pawpaw’s unique flavor: warm and rich, somewhat resembling the flavor of banana, but stronger. The texture made me think of a mango, only creamier.

“Describing the taste of pawpaw is challenging,” says Steve McGinnis, a service forester for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. “It’s a little like a cross between banana and mango with the graininess of a pineapple. To many it is considered an ‘acquired taste.’ This is most often due to the pulp consistency rather than the flavor.”

He’s found that “people with a sensitivity to food textures are typically not fans of pawpaw.” But despite its similarities to other fruits, the pawpaw has a flavor all its own. It’s a fruit you really have to experience for yourself.

September is peak season for pawpaws in Ohio. Sometimes called Indiana banana, Appalachian banana, poor man’s banana and other names, the pawpaw is the largest native fruit in North America and became Ohio’s official native fruit in 2009. Part of the Annonaceae family, the pawpaw can be found as far south as Florida, as far north as Canada and as far west as Texas.

PAWPAWS IN THE PAST
 

The pawpaw made its first appearance in recorded history in 1541. During Hernando de Soto’s expedition, one of the members wrote about a fruit that Native Americans were cultivating in the Mississippi Valley. In fact, it is believed that this was the time when the fruit was christened “pawpaw” because of its similarity to the papaya.

George Washington planted pawpaw trees at Mount Vernon, and Thomas Jefferson also grew them at Monticello. Lewis and Clark ate pawpaws to survive at one point in 1806, and pawpaws provided pioneers with food as well. Since then, the pawpaw has been featured in one of John James Audubon’s paintings and has also shown up in a folk song you might recognize: “Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch”.

“Pawpaws have always been an important food source to the people of Ohio,” says Steve. “Prior to European settlement, Native Americans gathered pawpaws every year in late summer. Later, pawpaws were utilized by settlers and annually used for trade as early Ohioans prepared for winter.”

HOW TO IDENTIFY A PAWPAW
 

Pawpaw trees are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves every year, and stay relatively small. Look for large, shiny dark green leaves (which may grow up to a foot long) that become wider towards the tip. In the fall, the leaves may turn yellow or golden brown. In the spring, look for maroon flowers with six petals — three large ones on the outside, and three smaller ones inside. Although the flowers are attractive, they give off an unpleasant odor.

Pawpaw trees have an alternating branch pattern and the bark is gray and smooth, which becomes bumpy over time. Because pawpaws send out new shoots called suckers via a single root system, you may discover an entire patch of pawpaws growing in the same area.

The most exciting part about the pawpaw tree is, of course, the fruit. Growing up to six inches long, pawpaws are shaped like a potato with a smooth skin. Fruit can be green, yellow or brown, often with black spots, and you may find them hanging in clusters or alone.

CULTIVATING THE PAWPAW
 

Perhaps one of the most important things to remember when planting a pawpaw tree is the fact that pawpaw trees do not self-pollinate. This means that if you want your pawpaw tree to produce fruit, you’ll have to plant a genetically different pawpaw tree nearby, which will allow for cross-pollination. Unlike with many other trees, flies and beetles — not bees — are responsible for pollinating the pawpaw flower.

While birds, squirrels, raccoons, opossums and even foxes enjoy its tasty fruit, the pawpaw is undesirable to deer. In fact, according to the National Park Service, deer have played a significant role in the spread of pawpaw trees. By feeding on other plants and trees, the deer allow the pawpaw to grow in peace, even making way for the further spread of the pawpaw tree. And since the tree isn’t threatened by disease or pests, its future is certainly promising.

PICKING & PREPARING PAWPAWS
 

You can test if a pawpaw is ripe by feeling the outside for a soft give, like you would a mango. A great method for gathering the fruit, especially if it’s out of reach, is to gently shake the tree and gather the falling fruit.

It’s best to enjoy the ripe fruit within two to three days, but you can extend shelf life by storing them in the refrigerator, from one to three weeks, depending on how ripe they are. You can even freeze the pawpaw pulp for later use. If you’re in a hurry for the fruit to ripen, Steve says that storing them in a paper bag can help.

One of the simplest ways to enjoy a pawpaw is to cut it in half or lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, removing the seeds, which, like the skin, are not edible. In baking, pawpaw fruit can be used as a substitute for bananas, as in bread or muffins. Spice up your smoothie with the unique flavor of pawpaw, or make your own pawpaw ice cream or pudding.

“There are an endless number of ways to prepare pawpaw fruits, but they can get messy,” Steve warns. “Be prepared to remove a lot of seeds. I most often halve them like you would an avocado, and carefully remove the seeds with spoon. With the peel serving as the bowl removing the seeds helps work the pulp into a kind of custard which you can eat right then and there.”

HEALTH BENEFITS OF PAWPAWS
 

As if you needed another reason to try this juicy fruit, the pawpaw is packed with nutrients, rivaling — and at times surpassing — more familiar fruits such as apples, bananas and oranges in vitamin and mineral content.

“Pawpaws are an excellent source of fiber,” says Steve. They’re also high in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, iron, magnesium and more. If you missed out on this year’s pawpaw harvest, or have yet to try a pawpaw, I hope you’ve been inspired to seek out this fascinating fruit next year, whether at the annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival, a local farmers market or in your own backyard. Better yet, plant a few trees and start your own pawpaw patch!