pawpaw
- Thread starter 19Dawn76
- Start date
Greenthumb18
Deeply Rooted
No, i dont have one but i might be tempted to get one they decribe the taste of these fruits like bananas with it being custard like. Sounds like its worth gving it a try.
journey11
Garden Master
They grow like weeds around here along the creeks. We like them and harvest them to eat plain or make breads or custard with. They also have a really unusual and beautiful bell-shaped bloom in early spring, which I think makes them a good decorative tree in the landscape.
There are cultivated varieties available too that will have improved taste, texture and/or slightly better keeping timespan than their wild counterparts. We planted six trees about 7 years ago--we are hoping to finally get fruit from them next year! It takes a long time.
The fruit is definitely at its best the uglier it is. You are supposed to harvest them after the first frost, but if you don't get on it sooner, the deer and turkey will take them all. We pick them and let them sit until they are black. They have a tinge of bitterness to them if you eat them green yet soft, and you can eat them then, but trust me, they are better when they are black! It is a very complex flavor. It is "close" to banana, but really not the same! They are also very nutritious and high in protein.
There are cultivated varieties available too that will have improved taste, texture and/or slightly better keeping timespan than their wild counterparts. We planted six trees about 7 years ago--we are hoping to finally get fruit from them next year! It takes a long time.
The fruit is definitely at its best the uglier it is. You are supposed to harvest them after the first frost, but if you don't get on it sooner, the deer and turkey will take them all. We pick them and let them sit until they are black. They have a tinge of bitterness to them if you eat them green yet soft, and you can eat them then, but trust me, they are better when they are black! It is a very complex flavor. It is "close" to banana, but really not the same! They are also very nutritious and high in protein.
Rosalind
Deeply Rooted
I have some of the cultivated sort. I'm trying to get them to spread in a semi-shady spot in my yard--they like a little shade. You need pollinators, can't just have one. I have Rebecca's Gold, Sunflower, and Wells. Planted in 2007 and still smallish, no pawpaws yet. My understanding is also that they take 5-7 years after planting to set fruit, which seems about right since mine are still no more than 5' tall and fairly thin (about the thickness of a Sharpie marker), and they were easily 3 1/2' tall when I planted them.
HiDelight
Deeply Rooted
I have always wanted to try these and wonder do you think they could grow in my climate ..in a pot maybe? how big do they get
the fruit sounds so good to me
the fruit sounds so good to me
journey11
Garden Master
I had forgot about that--you need two different varieties/strains to get them to pollinate. They'd probably point that out in the nursery catalog too.
How horrible would it be to wait 7 years for a tree to fruit, only to find out you have to plant another and wait 7 more years!
How horrible would it be to wait 7 years for a tree to fruit, only to find out you have to plant another and wait 7 more years!
Rosalind
Deeply Rooted
In a pot would probably not work. They have taproots that are very very long. The little bitty trees I got that were 3 1/2 ' tall had 12" long taproots. A mature 7-10 foot tree would likely have a 3 foot long taproot, which is kinda big for a pot. Not impossible, but pots that big are expensive and difficult to move. They are hardy right through zone 5.HiDelight said:I have always wanted to try these and wonder do you think they could grow in my climate ..in a pot maybe? how big do they get
the fruit sounds so good to me
HiDelight
Deeply Rooted
thanks Rosalind I will check that one off my list of things to grow ..can you find these in the markets in the south I wonder? I have never seen them do they show up anywhere for sale?
Maybe my sister in So Carolina or parents in Fla could find one an send it to me? I know for a fact they are no where around I have searched and researched!!!
I just think it is something I should taste in life
Maybe my sister in So Carolina or parents in Fla could find one an send it to me? I know for a fact they are no where around I have searched and researched!!!
I just think it is something I should taste in life
journey11
Garden Master
I think they don't sell them in produce depts because they are very poor keepers and hard to ship. They just don't last long. And I figure they think nobody would want to buy a leathery, black potato-looking glob!HiDelight said:thanks Rosalind I will check that one off my list of things to grow ..can you find these in the markets in the south I wonder? I have never seen them do they show up anywhere for sale?
Maybe my sister in So Carolina or parents in Fla could find one an send it to me? I know for a fact they are no where around I have searched and researched!!!
I just think it is something I should taste in life
It really is something unusual and under-appreciated and being the gourmet cook you are HiD, I know you'd just fall in love with them! Maybe someday you can take a vacation somewhere and try one, or maybe if your sister sent a green one by expedited delivery it would be good by the time you recieved it.
We have a pawpaw festival near here in September dedicated to all things pawpaw! I just found out about it last year and really have been meaning to go. I'd like to find more recipes to use them in and I figure that would be a good place to start.
Rosalind
Deeply Rooted
Nope. As journey11 said, they are not good keepers at all and must be eaten within days of ripening.HiDelight said:
They grow in those shady-ish areas where blackberries tend to pop up, so if you have a brambley area like that, it might be a good spot.
