North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[nottke1 <nottke1@earthlink.net>]

Darel,

As one of those "pawpaw cult" folks, I like the flavor and texture of 
selected pawpaw cultivars about as well as I like the best specimens of any 
other fruit.  I agree most wild pawpaws are either stringy, bitter, small, or 
have poor texture.  But my purchased cultivars and ones that I have selected 
from the wild sell for over a dollar apiece at the Farmer's Market, and sell 
out quickly.

Other major pawpaw benefits;
- deer won't touch the trees, nor will rabbits
- the trees and fruit require no spraying
- the trees require minimal pruning 
- no irrigation required

Jim Nottke
================================
>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)
>
>
>
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