Tag Archives: pawpaws

9 New Ways to Eat a Pocket Full of Pawpaws

pawpaw-fruit

Nine ways to eat a … what? That’s right, a pawpaw! It is North America’s largest indigenous fruit you’ve never heard of. Affectionately titled the “poor man’s banana,” pawpaw is PACKED with more potassium than a banana and three times more vitamin C than an orange, according to Modern Farmer.

Not convinced to try them? Maybe these recipes will change your mind.

Pick a Pocket Full of Pawpaws: Sure to be the Hottest New “it” Fruit

1. Straight up raw. 

Any pawpaw fan will tell you that the best way to enjoy this adventurous produce is straight off the tree during peak season, which is mid-August through mid-October. With a custard-like texture and taste similar to mangoes, bananas, and melons, it’s no wonder eating the raw fruit is the way to go!

2. Pawpaw pie. 

Think lemon meringue with a new twist. Combine pawpaw pulp (peeled and seeded) with sugar, milk, egg yolks, and flour to heat over the stove. Then top with whipped egg white meringue and bake for 12 minutes at 350. See the full recipe here.

3. A micro-brewery trend

Midwest microbreweries and distilleries are catching on to pawpaws and have introduced several craft beers and wines that incorporate the subtly fruity flavor. These pawpaw brews are most commonly found throughout Ohio and the Carolinas. (more…)

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Katie McGrath

Pick a Pocket Full of Pawpaws: Sure to be the Hottest New “it” Fruit

pawpaws

Now is the time for “pickin’ up pawpaws and puttin’ ’em in your pockets” as the children’s chant goes. The best pawpaws are the fully ripe fruits that have fallen to the ground between mid-August and mid-October, perfect for stuffing your pockets or your face!

Pawpaws are the largest edible fruit native to the U.S. and are an indigenous plant to 26 states east of Nebraska, reaching from Florida to New York. The fruit was an important food for Native Americans and early settlers. Pawpaws graced George Washington’s table in colonial days. And even animals aren’t missing out on this delicious treat — squirrels, raccoons, possums, and bears happily feast on aromatic pawpaw flesh.

Pawpaws are large fruits, similar to mangoes or papayas, ranging in color from yellow to green with skin often flecked. When over-ripe, the skin will turn brown like a banana. They have big black seeds that are easy-to-remove, a custard-like texture, and a flavor that is related to bananas, mangoes and melons. They are known commonly as a poor man’s banana.

“It has a sweet, yet rather cloying taste….a wee bit puckery” is the way their taste was described by a botanist of yore.    (more…)

Posted on September 29, 2023 by Natalie K