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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Paw-paw taste, and why bother

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  • From: Melissa Kacalanos <mijwiz@yahoo.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Paw-paw taste, and why bother
  • Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2011 05:48:24 -0700 (PDT)

We brought some cultivated pawpaws to a potluck, and they were universally
enjoyed and marveled at. I've never tried wild ones, but I can believe they
aren't as good.

We planted several, and the deer here didn't get the message that pawpaws are
immune to deer. What's left of the little trees are behind deer fences now.
Then again, the deer around here eat anything: irises, lily-of-the-valley,
hellebores, they stop at nothing.

Melissa
zone 5, central NY

--- On Tue, 3/15/11, nottke1 <nottke1@earthlink.net> wrote:

> From: nottke1 <nottke1@earthlink.net>
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Paw-paw taste, and why bother
> To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 6:13 AM
> 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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