Pawpaw: Tropical Fruit of the Midwest

Pawpaws are a taste of the tropics grown right here in the Midwest, as well as most of the eastern United States. Pawpaws are a type of custard apple, sized similarly to a Hass avocado, with texture something like a papaya. Locals in the know forage for their small trees behind old barns or in the overgrown bramble of somewhat neglected farmhouses.

There are years of pawpaw abundance and years of their famine, and no one seems to know quite why. Do they depend on abundant spring rains? Is the never-ending expanse of monoculture plowing the trees up by their roots? But every year it's worth checking the edges of woods and news from the farmers market for these lovelies. They are homegrown exotics, tasting uncannily of banana and pineapple.

The seeds are quite large, but easy to remove to enjoy the flesh of this wonderful Eastern American fruit. They are worth saving too as they are usually sold for 50 cents or more each. They will need two to three months of chill time (your fridge works well for this) before they awaken from dormancy. They are hearty for zones 5-8, and this tropical tasting fruit will be a welcome harvest in late summer.