Have you ever tasted a paw paw? What are they like, and more importantly, do you like them? I've been curious about this fruit for a number of years now but have never been able to actually taste one. They are not grown commercially so you'd have to forage for one or be lucky enough to find a local farmer who grows them. From what I've read, they are tropical fruit in the custard apple family and can be found growing wild in most areas of the United States. Depending on the variety, paw paws can be hardy all the way down to zone 4. To think - a tropical fruit tree we can actually grow outdoors here in New England!
Anyway, I need to find a way to get my hands on one, though I have a feeling that their short season may be over by now.
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We have them growing down by the river here in Virginia. Next time i'm down there ill keep my eye out for fruit and collect the seeds for you if you'd like. I've tasted them... they were very delicately sweet.
ReplyDeleteI had some in an ice cream/sorbet type of dish once. It was GOOD! Very different taste but different in a good way. Here is a link that explains how to grow them and best of all, some nurseries at the end that sell plants.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho-220.pdf
Hope to hear of some Paw Paw adventures soon!
Ooops, hit send by accident...was going to finish by saying: side note, we've got a tree native down this direction called "Mayhaw". Don't you wonder where they get these names? I hope to use the Mayhaw to make some jelly. There is supposed to be one somewhere on our property, but I haven't found it yet. I hope you can find a PawPaw (plant or seeds), can't wait to hear all about it.
ReplyDeleteThere's a local apple orchard here in RI that has a section of paw paws. I've never tried them myself.
ReplyDeleteSo strange to hear you've never tasted a pawpaw. It just shows you what we take for granted. Guess that's true for different parts of the world, and according to what can be grown there.
ReplyDeleteThe sensation of eating on is of taking a mouthful of a fruit flavoured custardy jello. But the taste is sort of delicate and sweet, watery yet creamy.
By custardy I meant the consistency :)
ReplyDeleteThere are several sources for paw paw trees on the net. A few years ago we found one at a local nursery, but unfortunately it takes two different varieties (according to one of the websites) to get them to set fruit. We haven't taken the iniative to buy another.
ReplyDeleteThey are good! Soft and custardy, kind of like banana pudding but not quite the same taste. Inside they have several large dark seeds that are similar to lima beans. We've tried planting the seeds but they did not germinate.
In Missouri, they're difficult to grow from seed in part because they need to be exposed to a frost before they'll germinate, and fruit crops can vary widely from year to year.
ReplyDeleteBut they are delicious - soft, custardy, a bit banana-ry although they do spoil very quickly if bruised.
I've never tasted a paw paw, but I planted two trees this spring. Hopefully in a few years I'll be tasting some! I like the idea that it is a low-maintenance native tree. I have seen mature trees and they are very decorative, which would be reason enough to grow them for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and imput everyone. I would love to plant a tree but unfortunately, I'm waiting until we find a more permanent home before investing the time and energy. I figure since I've yet to taste a tropical fruit that I didn't like (well, durian being an exception), chances are, I'd like a paw paw. I'm also intriqued that they grow wild. Hopefully one of these days we will stumble across one.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to taste one...the foraging group I belong to on F'book talks about them a bit. It's called Foragers Unite.
ReplyDeleteThomas, they grow along streambanks and in wet woods in Ohio, so keep an eye out if you're ever out hiking. Their leaves are distinctively tropical-looking and easy to spot if you know what to look for.
ReplyDeleteWe've planted a few here. The springtime flowers are unique and lovely. Fruiting has been hit-or-miss, though. We easily had 100 flowers this spring, but they all mysteriously disappeared as soon as they'd started to fruit. Several years back, we had a decent crop.
I'd recommend trying to grow them, but do wait till you're permanently located. In the meantime, keep an eye out for paw paw festivals in your region!
keep in mind that you need a male and female plant (and you don't know what you have until they flower) and they don't survive frost (or mine didn't anyway). good luck! they are supposed to be good for skin conditions too. http://www.lucaspapaw.com.au/
ReplyDeleteI noticed that some of the comments don't make sense, and now I realise that these are a couple of different paw paws, I'm talking about Carica papaya, but did you mean Asimina triloba? the first is tropical and frost sensitive!
ReplyDeleteWe live near a famous paw-paw growing area here. All the soft serve ice cream places, and the farmer's market serve pawpaw ice cream.
ReplyDeleteFunny though, I have never had just the fruit though...
I have one in my garden, but it has not given me any fruit. The variety is supposed to be self-fruitful, but maybe I should pop another one nearby to give it some help.
In your travels online...and I say this because you know your jackfruit...watch for descriptions of "paw paw" online that refer to two entirely different fruits. In the Caribbean, we refer to papaya as paw paw, or pawpaw, or paw-paw. I have no idea whether our papayas down there are the same as ours up here. They probably are, but the American paw paw and its growing needs are a whole other story, and I've seen a few sites that seem to be mixing their metaphors, with photos or descriptions of one when they're clearly talking about the other.
ReplyDeleteOur paw paw is Carica papaya, a true tropical. Yours is Asimina triloba, which needs 400 chill hours to set fruit. (We have no chill hours, where I'm from.) Asimina triloba SHOULD be easy in zones 5-9, though they need pollinators. I've also heard what folks are saying here...that they need a male and female.
I'm a bit of a rebel. I'd grow my paw paws in pots until I was ready to move. As an example...I am, at this moment, growing 3 mango varieties, 2 dragon fruit, a sweet sop, a guava, and a whole mess of ginger roots in pots that I'm bringing with me to Middlesex county, eventually. You've got citrus...start your paw paws in pots. Buck the system. :-)
We have a Paw Paw Festival here in Ohio! I had my first paw paw in a PBIO class in college... they look like overripe pears but taste kind of like a banana.
ReplyDeleteNo, I have never tasted a paw paw.
ReplyDeleteI just sent you an e-mail.
Farmer Liz and Yvette - It's interesting that in parts of the world, the papaya (or what we call a papaya) is called "paw paw". That's definitely not what I'm referring to - though I'll love to grow a potted papaya tree one of these days!
ReplyDeleteThey are delicious! Here in Missouri, they are like a hidden gem... who thought that something so tropical tasting could grow with our harsh and sporadic winters?
ReplyDeleteThey are a prominent understory tree in midwest forests, so if you ever go hiking, your only real competition for them are squirrels. To me, they taste like a mango-ey banana.
The leaves, when crushed, also smell remarkably like green bell peppers. Kind of odd.
We had paw paws in Morrocco in August! They had a slightly slimey texture but tasted quite nice!
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