North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Darel Snodgrass <dareljudy@bellsouth.net>]

Hi all,
I've been working on an heirloom apple/peach/pear orchard for the past 
few years;  I haven't contributed to the group, because frankly I 
haven't had anything useful to contribute, but I have learned a lot, and 
I'm grateful to all of you for that.

I see a lot of interest here in paw-paws, and I just have to say, what 
the heck?  I grew up in deep rural northeastern Arkansas, paw-paws grow 
wild all over the place.  We always picked up a few along the creek when 
they were ripe, ate them and said "well, that's about enough for this 
year."  Someone smarter than me said one paw-paw pie a year is about enough.

I understand that the group is interested in unusual (and especially 
native) fruit, but the paw-paw is just about the most bland, nothing 
"there" -there fruit I know, and I grew up with the darned things.   My 
dad persists in trying to transplant them from the woods to his orchard 
(difficult, long tap-root), but I think this is more of a horticultural 
challenge than anything else, he's no fonder of the fruit than I am (and 
he REALLY grew up with them, he's 81 and living on the farm he was born 
on)(still gets out and prunes and sprays and picks his apples and 
peaches, just transplanted a bunch of blueberries a couple weeks ago, I 
hope I'm that healthy at his age).

BTW, I'm not a native-fruit chauvinist, there are several wild 
persimmons on my farm (excellent jam), and well as numerous black 
walnuts, hickory nuts, blackberries, and wild grapes (I let the birds 
have them).

So I guess I just want to know, what's the attraction?  Why the 
interest?  Am I missing out on something I should know about?  I've 
eaten a lot of paw-paws, but I can't honestly say I would go to the 
trouble of cultivating one, when there are so many more interesting (and 
tasty) fruits out there.

Thanks all,
Darel Snodgrass
Memphis (orchard near Salem, MO)