Pawpaws grow wild in the woods all over the eastern United States. I decided that I had to eat them. Grow them. Share them. There was just one problem: I'd forgotten what they taste like.
Jeremy--thanks for spreading (kind of) the gospel of pawpaws. Reasonable folks in the South (are there any?) can disagree about pawpaws, livermush, the Bible, and daylight savings time. You neglected to mention however an important additional benefit of the pawpaw. It is the only host for the beautiful zebra swallowtail butterfly. my best. Ray Owens
Yes! I'd heard that. Also heard that you can hang a dead fish from a pawpaw branch in order to get a lot of flies to show up and pollinate all of the flowers. Also, livermush is surprisingly not bad.
Livermush! While a terrible name (on par with Atomic Buffalo Turds), it is an awesome offal snack! I prefer to call it scrapple and use recipes from its country of origin, Germany.
All that said, the pawpaw story was a lot of fun :)
Our church is Paw Creek Presbyterian Church in Charlotte NC - the name came from the Pawpaw trees that grew on the property. I believe there are still some in the woods around the church.
I sang a song in childhood called Where oh Where is Dear Little Mary?
The answer came in the chorus “way down yonder in the PawPaw Patch”. That’s the only time I remember hearing about a Pawpaw. Thanks Jeremy, for bringing back a 55+ year old memory!
Marianne, when I was a small child on a farm in Missouri in the early 1950s, my grandpa sang a song with pawpaw patch in it. And I remember singing this one you mention at school, substituting friends' names for "Mary"! They were always "way down yonder in the pawpaw patch". Thanks for this memory!
Up in NY, my aunt had a pawpaw tree out her front door. They were much larger than the picture. Wondering if yours weren't completely ripe. I never tried them either and I'm obsessed to
A bit of a dry article... BUT REMARKABLY CLOSE TO MY OWN PAW PAW EXPERIENCE 😅😂😂. I read a lot of old time-y books, and paw paw fruit is invariably mentioned at some point, casually, and without any description of it's taste, just that it's good and readily available in the woods. So... I too became weirdly obsessed with them, mainly because I could never FIND any paw paw fruit, and their fruit season is SO short. Every September, I'd get excited about maybe finding one on a hike, and never did.
BUT THIS YEAR, I FINALLY DID!!
... Aaaaaaand.... They're okay, " not amazing " to be polite and, " a weird consistency, and tasting of slightly creamy cantaloupe gone wrong somehow... " To be honest...
Jeremy, did you consider that the ones you picked were unripe? I have no knowledge of paw paws but they sound a lot like the notorious durian. I’m intrigued by those but haven’t had a taste. I need a durian guide
I did, and I tried one that was a little more ripe a week later. It was a little creamier and had a little more flavor but was still very… okay. Good luck with the durian though!
Keep bringing em' on! Every hour I spend listening to the online baseless strutting, bragging, and outright insults by other folks (yes, I mean Texans and Patriots' fans), I am glad I live in this imperfect state and in this imperfect region. We have a ways to go but we at least have a sense of irony about it. Thanks again.
I consider myself a very knowledgeable native North Carolinian and I'm sad (and embarrassed!) that I had never heard of a pawpaw!! Now I'm on a mission too. Gotta find some and see if I like them!
I just randomly found this article. A Great read. I live in north high point....and will be on the look out for the fruits. I am in the tree 🌳, arborist business.
Allen's nursery in Rocky Mount sells Pawpaw trees and seeing them there was the first time I'd ever even heard of them. They also attract butterflies which is pretty cool.
Jeremy--thanks for spreading (kind of) the gospel of pawpaws. Reasonable folks in the South (are there any?) can disagree about pawpaws, livermush, the Bible, and daylight savings time. You neglected to mention however an important additional benefit of the pawpaw. It is the only host for the beautiful zebra swallowtail butterfly. my best. Ray Owens
Yes! I'd heard that. Also heard that you can hang a dead fish from a pawpaw branch in order to get a lot of flies to show up and pollinate all of the flowers. Also, livermush is surprisingly not bad.
Livermush! While a terrible name (on par with Atomic Buffalo Turds), it is an awesome offal snack! I prefer to call it scrapple and use recipes from its country of origin, Germany.
All that said, the pawpaw story was a lot of fun :)
That was a beautiful story! Maynard's tree flourishing brought tears to my eyes. Thank you!
Our church is Paw Creek Presbyterian Church in Charlotte NC - the name came from the Pawpaw trees that grew on the property. I believe there are still some in the woods around the church.
I sang a song in childhood called Where oh Where is Dear Little Mary?
The answer came in the chorus “way down yonder in the PawPaw Patch”. That’s the only time I remember hearing about a Pawpaw. Thanks Jeremy, for bringing back a 55+ year old memory!
Marianne, when I was a small child on a farm in Missouri in the early 1950s, my grandpa sang a song with pawpaw patch in it. And I remember singing this one you mention at school, substituting friends' names for "Mary"! They were always "way down yonder in the pawpaw patch". Thanks for this memory!
Yes …pickin up Pawpaws put em in her pocket!
Up in NY, my aunt had a pawpaw tree out her front door. They were much larger than the picture. Wondering if yours weren't completely ripe. I never tried them either and I'm obsessed to
A bit of a dry article... BUT REMARKABLY CLOSE TO MY OWN PAW PAW EXPERIENCE 😅😂😂. I read a lot of old time-y books, and paw paw fruit is invariably mentioned at some point, casually, and without any description of it's taste, just that it's good and readily available in the woods. So... I too became weirdly obsessed with them, mainly because I could never FIND any paw paw fruit, and their fruit season is SO short. Every September, I'd get excited about maybe finding one on a hike, and never did.
BUT THIS YEAR, I FINALLY DID!!
... Aaaaaaand.... They're okay, " not amazing " to be polite and, " a weird consistency, and tasting of slightly creamy cantaloupe gone wrong somehow... " To be honest...
I was very disappointed 😞😅
I enjoyed your story. Seems like Paw Paws are bad luck for you. Lol!
Jeremy, did you consider that the ones you picked were unripe? I have no knowledge of paw paws but they sound a lot like the notorious durian. I’m intrigued by those but haven’t had a taste. I need a durian guide
I did, and I tried one that was a little more ripe a week later. It was a little creamier and had a little more flavor but was still very… okay. Good luck with the durian though!
Just this year my wife discovered pawpaw trees on our property. She was so excited! They smell like pineapple heaven. They taste awful. ☹️
This is the perfect summation of my feelings toward pawpaws and I'm mad that you were able to do it in four perfect sentences and one emoji.
Well yeah, but you got paid to write that article so...🤣
Note to self: Remind myself to create newsletter-related business plan BEFORE writing pawpaw articles
Keep bringing em' on! Every hour I spend listening to the online baseless strutting, bragging, and outright insults by other folks (yes, I mean Texans and Patriots' fans), I am glad I live in this imperfect state and in this imperfect region. We have a ways to go but we at least have a sense of irony about it. Thanks again.
I consider myself a very knowledgeable native North Carolinian and I'm sad (and embarrassed!) that I had never heard of a pawpaw!! Now I'm on a mission too. Gotta find some and see if I like them!
I found all of mine off of East Harrell Road, just don't lean too far out over the water to pick them next year.
I just randomly found this article. A Great read. I live in north high point....and will be on the look out for the fruits. I am in the tree 🌳, arborist business.
In Oak Ridge? That's like 10 mi from me.
Yup
They are most often found along rivers, because they like the water I guess. If you ever go tubing on the Dan River, you'll see plenty.
My husband gets to listen to me read anecdotes from your stories today. I could not pass up hoot owl meteorology as one of them.
Sorry to that man
He’s a trooper. Of course, I’m using character voices and ever’thang!
Allen's nursery in Rocky Mount sells Pawpaw trees and seeing them there was the first time I'd ever even heard of them. They also attract butterflies which is pretty cool.
Pears are also native to NC. Most agree they are yummy. Maybe that orchard dream deserves another chance.
Used to live in Paw Paw, WV. One of their best uses is daiquiri!
Love the storytelling, Jeremy. Soooo North Carolinian!👏🏻😉