“There is a paw paw renaissance now,” said Michael Judd, owner of Ecologia, an edible and ecological landscaping service in Frederick, MD. There is even a popular folk song called “Way Down Yonder in the Paw Paw Patch” about collecting ripe paws paws from the ground and putting them in a basket. During the Civil War, soldiers as well as African American slaves collected the fruit in the wild to supplement their meager diets. His father, John Bartram, a botanist, sent seeds to Europe. William Bartram, a naturalist, described the trees in Bartram’s Travels. Thomas Jefferson grew them and sent seeds to his colleagues in Europe. George Washington grew paw paw trees at Mount Vernon and ate the fruit as dessert. Members of the Lewis and Clark expedition ate paw paws for pleasure as well as sustenance. John Lawson, an Englishman, described them in his travels in the Carolinas in the 1700s. Jamestown colonists wrote about them in the 1600s. Paw paw trees are part of American history and folklore. Paw Paws in American History and Folklore Unlike other fruit trees, paw paw trees are not subject to a high level of pests and diseases. Reminiscent of cucumber magnolias, they have foot-long, dark green leaves. In the wild, the trees grow to 15 to 30 feet and sucker, creating colonies. They can be eaten raw or used in ice cream, pudding, smoothies, butter (such as apple butter), baked goods like cookies and pies, and even beer, brandy, and wine!įrom Florida to Texas, north to New York, and west to Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska, paw paws are native to 26 states and grow as understory trees in hardwood forests near streams and rivers. Paw paws taste like a cross between a banana and a mango with a splash of pineapple. Technically a berry, they are the largest North American edible fruit. When cut in half, the interior reveals a yellow, custard-like pulp with two rows of large seeds. They have a variety of common names such as Indiana banana, poor man’s banana, and bandango. Fruit of cultivated trees look very similar to mangos-green, kidney-shaped, and about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. It’s paw paw season! Paw paws ( Asimina triloba) are native trees that bear fruit in August, September, and October.
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