This tropical tasting fruit is a local delicacy, but many don’t know about it

The answer is the Pawpaw.

It’s indigenous to Ohio, has existed globally for more than 30,000 years, and has held its designation in Ohio since 2009. It could grow almost anywhere in Southwest Ohio, and yet it’s unfamiliar to many people.

Local and different

When you think of flavors of the Midwest, two words that rarely come to mind are “light” and “tropical.” Yet that’s exactly what the Pawpaw offers. It’s unique because it’s the only fruit tree member of the tropical Annonaceae family to live in temperate regions.

In other words, a tropical fruit tree that can handle Ohio winters. (Note that in some areas “papayas” are also called pawpaws. They are not the same fruit.)

It’s also not likely to be found in a grocery store. They have a flavor that many compare to a combination of mango, bananas and pineapple. The texture leans towards banana in a creamy custard-like way. Like bananas, the window from ripe to ripe to over-ripe is short.

That’s one of the main reasons you won’t find the fruit in the produce section. The other reason is that there are very few commercial growers.

Like many native plants that haven’t been selectively grown or domesticated, fruit production can be spotty and unpredictable. One study found that the average “grove” of the smallish trees (25 feet tall or less) was just two dozen trees producing 200 pounds of fruit.

Combine uncertainty about yields and ROI with a short time period to market, and few people are going through the trouble to grow them. They also have large unique seeds. Luckily, they take to understory and edge environments with little encouragement.

And similar to the morel mushroom, but currently on a lesser scale, that’s also what makes it so attractive to its fans. It’s limited, different and local.

Getting to the fruit

If you want to try the actual Pawpaw fruit, you’ll likely have to get out and look for the large dog-eared leaves and unripe clusters of fruit ahead of time, then come back in September when the fruit begins to ripen. Chances are that you’ve passed or driven by the unassuming trees and never noticed. Check early and check often. You might luck into some at a farmers market and now is the time.

Once you find them, you can peel and eat them raw like any other fruit, avoiding the seeds, or you can incorporate them into any of a variety of recipes. The annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival features a cookoff with categories for both professional and home chefs.

If you don’t find any fruit in the short window that it’s available, your best bet is probably in a drink (both with and without alcohol), jam or ice cream.

Local breweries, including Little Fish Brewing Company, have made a variety of beers incorporating Pawpaws. Additionally, I’ve not found it in stores locally, but Ale8 introduced a Pawpaw-flavored soda this year.

What’s in it for others

While all kinds of mammals, from bears to humans to opossums, love Pawpaws, they are also the host plant for the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly. Many of the compounds in the leaves and twigs are repellent to insects, birds, and mammals.

This makes the trees very insect-resistant in landscapes, and also helps protect the caterpillars of the Zebra Swallowtail as well.

Because the seeds are so large it would take a big critter to carry the seeds across the large area Pawpaws call home, from Ontario Canada to the east coast, throughout the south and to Texas. One speculation is that Mastodons could have done the work.

That’s definitely a taste and scene from a different time and place.

RESOURCES

Where to Go

Cox Arboretum - Ruth Cummings Mead Woodland

There are two groves of Pawpaws on this trail, note that removing the fruit is against park regulations.

Pawpaw Fest Albany, Sept. 12-14

Pfeifer’s Orchard

I saw them here once, no guarantees.

Supporting Pollinators

Greater Dayton Pheasants Forever Fall Banquet, Sept. 13

Resources

ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/plants-trees/broad-leaf-trees/pawpaw-asimina-triloba

vnps.org/paw-paws-and-the-zebra-swallowtail-butterfly/

ale8one.com/product/pawpaw-ale-8-12-pack-bottles/

littlefishbrewing.com/beer/pawpaw-weizen/

MORE ONLINE

Read more of Devin Meister’s columns at daytondailynews.com, springfieldnewssun.com and journal-news.com. Search “Average Guy Outdoors.”