Adventures in Foraging Fruit: the Delicious Paw Paw
Have you ever eaten a paw paw?
Paw Paws are our native tropicalesque fruit. They are in the Annonaceae family along with custard apple, soursop, guayabana and others. They grow wild in 25 states in the USA even in some Canadian provinces.
Oftentimes found as an understory tree along creek beds, paw paws (Asimina triloba) grow into thickets due to their suckering habits. Come late summer clusters of oval fruits hang from their branches. They’re known for their bright custard innards and each time they’re in season we’re amazing they aren’t more popular!
Their bright flesh and distinctive aroma make them an amazing fruit to forage. They are the largest fruit native to North America. They are comparable to a mango or banana, but they also boast hints of citrus and vanilla. To truly understand the depth of flavor, you have to try one for yourself.
Today we went on a hike in our local water way in search of these delectable fruits that prefer moist environments. The fertile creek beds are a perfect habitat for this attractive tree.
After sampling my first fruit (many years after hearing about them) I was hooked! I still can barely believe that these scrumptious fruits grow in such a wide range of habitats including our own backyard.
Fruits are born in clusters and often known as Hoosier bananas or hillbilly mangoes. We found some clusters of 7 fruits today.
Why don't you see they gracing fruit stand throughout the country? Good question. It may have been a much more common occurrence in years gone by, but this fantastic fruit is making a comeback. One major drawback is they have a short shelf life, and don't ship as easily as most commercial fruits.
The most impressive cluster of the day!
We were blessed with the biggest harvest we’ve ever had! By shaking the trees that bear fruit, we are able to colelct only the ripest fruit and allow the rest to reach maturity before going back to harvest more paw paws. In this video we walk you through the entire process and you get to watch us have mouth-gasms as we ate some!
The trees are laden, and we harvest all the ripe fruit we can before the raccoons and possums get to them.
Happy forager with the bounty of today's paw paw mission
▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS
I've never eaten a paw-paw. The idea of a fruit like custard is mouth watering!
I loved the first photo of you 2 and the creek, followed by Wren and her paw-paw.
It was a fun day to document the spoils. Mouthwatering and WELL worth the effort. I would HIGHLY recommend getting some or even planting a couple on your land. For more info check our https://www.petersonpawpaws.com/.
Hillbilly mangoes ah, that's amazing. Never heard of these before! It's incredible to think about how much edible produce is hiding in plain sight. Thanks for sharing this informative walk into the woods :D
Funny named fruits are the best! They aren'y as well known as they should be. They were apparently George Washington favorite desserts. With such great flavor and a native range of over half the USA it boggles me why they aren't more of a big deal.
"edible produce is hiding in plain sight" - so true. There's so much to eat if we invest a little time into education and searching. It's so rewarding to gather and eat foraged foods, especially when they taste like this! It's a pleasure to share our experience.
Would you be willing to send me some seeds ?
The one downside to this is that germination is reduced to 20% when they dry out. We'll be in touch as we have all the seeds in moist peat for now. They can be planted outside in the fall and won't show foliage until the following August. We might be able to work something out close to planting time. We hope to plant ours our in October or so.
I have heard of paw-paw's but honestly had no idea what they were or looked like. They look yummy. Long shelf life and easy, durable to ship got us the Golden Delicious Apple. I don't think I need to say anything more.
Long shelf life isn't always the best, and often the non commercial varieties are the best tasting!
Now you know what they're all about you can seek them out. Hope you get to try one someday.
I have never eaten a paw-paw either. You have quite a haul. Do you just eat them fresh or do you preserve them for winter?
We're eating a lot fresh and will freeze some of the pulp. There's been effort to expand cultivating zone into EU and Japan, so it may not be long before they're found around the globe. Do you have access to soursop of similar fruits? It's less wintergreeny than a guayabana, and IMHO the best of all annonaceae fruits.
We have guayabana here. We love it and eat most of it fresh. The rest we freeze.
Wow, what will you do with all of this wonderful fruit? Can you freeze it? I have a few bread recipes using paw paws. Such a bounty and so nearby! Love it :)
We're opting for the simples option... EAT IT! We've started to freeze some of the pulp in ice cube tray, it's just labor intensive on a lot of the small wild fruits. Wren brought up how great it'd be midwinter to indulge in the custardy goodness. She made a mean hot sauce with it last night and methinks we'll put some of that away. It was amazing on rice beans and chicken.
These look amazing and I've never had or heard of these. I love gardening and growing my own, how would they fare in zone 7 New England I wonder?
Maybe!!! I know Maryland is an up and coming Paw Paw growing state, as in orchards! In Frederick, Maryland there’s actually a Paw Paw festival coming up this month!!
Posted using Partiko iOS
Woah Nelly, that tree is a super provider!
Been wanting to set my taste buds on one of these for years. They sound amazing.
You two are like kids in a candy store.
THey look so amazing! I am living vicariously through your harvest right now and imagining my future as my pawpaw seeds have finally sprouted (still waiting on a few) and growing into little seedlings! I hear they are notoriously sensitive to transplant so I was thinking of waiting until the fall or early next spring to separate and up pot them. What do you think? Are their roots super sensitive in your experience?
i never seen this fruit in my life .bt maybe its really nice food.