New fruit to me: The Pawpaw

Photo by Wikipedia

     I'll be the first to admit that I don't know everything, but I was surprised to learn this week about a fruit that was brand new to me, that can grow in our area, although it isn't native to my state:  the Pawpaw.

     Have you heard of the Pawpaw?

     I had taken the girls down to a friend's home, about 40 minutes south of us, to ride horses.  While the girls were out and about with their older friend, she introduced Kelsi and Brittany to the Pawpaw fruit tree in their yard or field. 

     The girls came in and told me that their friend had given them a bag to bring home several more Pawpaw fruits.  I asked what they tasted like, as I had never heard of this fruit.  The girls told me it tasted like vanilla custard.  Well, that sounded appealing to me!

Photo by Wikipedia

     Of course, I wanted to taste this special fruit, but I wasn't hungry earlier this evening when Kelsi cut up the fruit and served it into little dishes for us.  I tried mine a few minutes ago, after it had been chilled, and guess what?  It does taste very similar to vanilla pudding!  It was delicious.  Yum!

     Then, of course, I wanted to learn a little bit more about the Pawpaw fruit.  Here's what I learned, thanks to the internet and Wikipedia: 

Photo by Wikipedia

     Even though some people may think the Pawpaw is related to the papaya, it is not.

     The Pawpaw is native to North America, and it is the largest indiginous fruit on the continent. 

     Northern species of the Pawpaw are deciduous, while southern species are often evergreen.

     The Pawpaw has more protein than most fruits.

     The Pawpaw ripens quickly after being picked, so it's best to freeze, dehydrate it, or turn it into jam if you have an abundance of this fruit that you cannot eat before it spoils.

     The pawpaw bears its fruit in September and October, in general.

     The pawpaw is becoming more popular among organic growers, because it has few to no pests, so no pesticides are required; also, it is a low maintenance plant.

     The pulp is used primarily in baked dessert recipes and for juicing for fresh pawpaw drink or drink mixtures (pawpaw, pineapple, banana, lime, lemon and orange tea mix). The pulp can also be made into a country wine. In many recipes calling for bananas, pawpaw can be used instead.

     Chilled pawpaw fruit was a favorite dessert of George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson planted it at Monticello.

     Have you ever eaten pawpaw fruit?  What did you think of it?

---