Flirting with Pawpaws

I have a weird obsession with pawpaws. I think I first heard about this plant years ago from a coworker at Gray Barn Nursery, and it's never completely left my mind. Asimina triloba is a deciduous fruit tree that seems like it would belong in the tropics, but it's actually native to eastern North America. When I was told about the flavor of this fruit -- a creamy blend of banana, mango, and pineapple -- I was hooked. That sounds (almost unbelievably) delicious. I also feel cheated because I spent the first two decades of my life in the dang Midwest and no one told me about this tree!

Years later, I still haven't tasted one, though I do still fantasize about it. It's tricky, because pawpaws are fruits that need to be eaten at the perfect ripeness, and they don't stay fresh for very long. I've always wanted to try growing them, but I haven't sought them out (yet). However, I've been thinking about it again after seeing pawpaws in the news:

The Promise of Pawpaw

Issues like climate change, economic inequity and access to food have brought more attention to this creamy fruit and its resilient tree.

The New York Times

Pawpaws are the northernmost member of the mostly tropical custard apple family, kin to soursops, cherimoyas, sugar apples and ylang-ylangs. Nutritionally these sweet, rich fruits are a lot like bananas — high in vitamins, minerals and energy-supplying calories. (They are not related to the papaya, even though papaya is sometimes called pawpaw.)

“Everybody in the botanical world, everybody in the environmental world — they’re all familiar with the pawpaw,” said Matthew Dain, 28, of the New York Restoration Project, which helps manage green spaces and gardens in New York City.

The group has recently increased its focus on pawpaws, distributing trees and spring seed-starting kits. Pawpaw trees stay small enough to fit a couple into small city plots — at least two varieties are needed for cross-pollination — and can withstand the already prevalent effects of climate change, like warmer temperatures or more pests and diseases.

(Read the full article here.)