Pawpaws in the 21st Century

 Where oh where is little Nellie? Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.

Still life with pawpaws By Edward Edmondson Jr. 1870 - 1875

 Why have people turned away from pawpaws?

Lumpy Banana, peanut or potato shaped Greenish-yellow skin Brown to black spots

 No doubt, the first Native American to sample the Indian banana was both very courageous and very hungry.
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Well rewarded
Orange-colored flesh Feels like egg custard on the palate Flavors blend nuances
Mango Banana Papaya Peach With an after taste of melon
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Faded into obscurity

Shift of population from rural to urban areas in the late 19th and 20th centuries Known to many only through the lyrics of
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch

 What is a pawpaw?

Asimina triloba North Americas largest edible fruit Typically small tress 20 to 30 feet Forest under story near a river flood plain

Flowers open in April & May Hang upside down Resemble a bell May be up to 2 inches across Dark maroon-colored petals Three petals triloba Self-incompatible Require cross pollination Need 2 unrelated trees to set fruit

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Whether wild or cultivated

Variation for fruit size average is 8 oz Variation for flavor Variation for skin thickness Variation for skin color when ripening Variation for flesh color at ripeness Variation in number of seeds Variation in seed size
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Fruit

Short shelf life

tree-ripened fruit will spoil in several days at room temperature refrigerated fruit will last for up to three weeks

Can be picked slightly green to extend shelf life

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Pawpaws have a large number of synonyms

Possumhaw Dog-banana Indian-banana False banana Custard-apple Michigan banana Hoosier banana Ozark banana Poor-mans banana Wild banana Prairie banana Nebraska banana Indiana banana Woodland banana Midwest banana
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 Ohios forgotten fruit

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History of the pawpaw

Fossil records: New Jersey
15 million years

Mississippi
45 to 55 million years

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 In Blue Jacket, Warrior of the Shawnees, the author states, The Eastern Native American tribes cultivated the pawpaw for its fruit, spreading the tree from the Ohio River Valley south to Florida by planting seeds as they traveled
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Uses by Native American Indians

Inner bark
Cord to string fish Weaving baskets Cloth

Fruit
Cakes

Seeds
Lice control
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Assimilated into fabric of rural life For early settlers, pawpaws served as an emergency food source Several American towns, townships, creeks, and rivers were named after the pawpaw
Pawpaw, West Virginia Pawpaw, Michigan
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 Hernando De Soto 1541

A verie good smell and an excellent taste

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Hernando de Sotos journal

Recorded finding Native Americans growing and eating pawpaws in the valley of the Mississippi

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 Lewis & Clark 1806

There were plenty of ripe plums, which the men called pawpaws. Gathering a few bushels was the work of a few minutes only. The men told the captains they could live very well on the pawpaws. The captains were even more anxious than the men to get on, so there were no halts to hunt.
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 Hatfield & McCoy feud 1882

Three sons of Randolph McCoy were tied to pawpaw bushes and executed by the Hatfield family

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 American Genetic Associations Journal of Heredity 1916

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Best Pawpaw Contest

Ohio had three of the top seven entries The best fruit received by the contest was from Ironton, Ohio
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After the 1916 contest

Little documentation regarding the development of the pawpaw industry after the 1916 contest. In fact, pawpaws were grown commercially in the United States until around WWII, when the advent of refrigeration enabled shipment of more exotic fruit from many hundred of miles away.
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Current interest

Began in 1990 KSU Regional Variety Trials

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Regional variety Trials

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Landscape use
Year 2000
Landscape Tree of the Year by Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Year 2005
Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association as one of its Landscape Trees of the year
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ONLA

The pawpaw plants natural resistance to bugs and predators such as grazing whitetail deer make it a perfect choice for any landscape Plant more pawpaws
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Recognition by Slow Food USA

Pawpaw was accepted for the Ark of Taste in 2004 The Ark of Taste identifies gastronomically desirable regional foods that are disappearing The job of designated members of Slow Food to devise a way to increase an awareness of the product and to help create markets for it
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 Originating in North America, pawpaws have a prominent place in history

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Provided sustenance to Native Americans and many early explorers

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Food source

Landscape plant

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Backyard fruit tree

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 Butterfly gardens
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Marketing of pawpaws in the 21st Century

Achievement of popularity and commercial success
Fruits thin soft skin Perishable Highly inconsistent flavor 10 to 12 large seeds
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Organic farmers

No serious insects No serious diseases

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Superior fruit
Antioxidant-rich Anti-tumor Anti-aging Pesticidal properties Superbly nutritious
Proteins Amino acids Fat Calcium Iron Zinc

Cosmetics, skin products and perfumes

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Fruit is versatile
Fat substitute Substitute for bananas in recipes Cooking
Pies Cookies Cakes Puddings Marmalade Bread Beer Wine Desserts Sauces Muffins Danishes

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Other uses of pawpaws

Farmers markets Biomass Organic farmers Regional food Frozen pulp Specialty fruit crop Butterfly gardens Backyard fruit Orchards Specimen plants in landscape
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Commercial development?
Although the pawpaw is not yet commercially important native American fruit, others, such as the blueberry, cranberry and raspberry have come from the wild to occupy important niches in the commercial fruit market
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Commercial development? Cont.

The economic rationale for the commercial development of pawpaw is tied to the need in certain areas of the country to identify new high-value crops to supplement or provide alternatives for old ones that are losing value.
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Future of pawpaws
The rich pool of pawpaw genetics in Ohio is still growing in forests, yards, riparian zones and pastures across Ohio, especially in the southern part of the state. There are several reasons why pawpaw cultivation makes so much sense for the Midwest, especially Ohio.
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Future of pawpaws cont.

Pawpaws have excellent commercial potential in Ohio for these reasons:
1. The tree is well adapted to our regions soils and climate 2. Nutritional and cosmetic value 3. Natural compounds produced
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Future of pawpaws cont

4. Nursery wholesale and retail tree sales 5. Component in residential edible landscapes and butterfly gardens 6. Virtually no pests and the powerful chemicals deter browsing animals

7. Utilized for habitat restoration and biodiversification in parks, woodlots and forests 8. Potential for organic fruit production
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Future of pawpaws cont

The problem of the pawpaw proved greater than imagined. The breeding, scientific studies and applied science necessary for their solution did not materialize.
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Future of pawpaws cont

In 2008, 91 years later, we are finally seeing the first faint glimmers of a pawpaw industry. Many factors have contributed to make this possible:
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Future of pawpaws cont

1. Consumer demand in America for new and unusual produce. 2. Increased interest in native plants. 3. High value crop for farmers 4. Progress in the scientific study of Asimina. 5. High quality pawpaw varieties
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Future of pawpaws cont

Neal Peterson

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In conclusion

Yelow-billed Cuckoo in Pawpaw Tree By John James Audubon 1863

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In 1905 James A. Little wrote:

We can never realize what a great blessing the pawpaw was to the first settlers while they were clearing the great natural forest and preparing to build cabins." Planting fruit trees was rather an experiment for a number of years. The pawpaws, and a few other wild fruits of less value, were all their dependence so far as fruit is concerned. Well do I remember sixty or more years ago my father would take his gun and basket and go to the woods and return in the evening loaded with pawpaws, young squirrels and sometimes mushrooms of which he was very fond. But there will never be a recurrence of those days which were the happiest of my life.
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Ohio Pawpaw Growers Association

OPGA % Ron & Terry Powell 6549 Amelia Dr. Cincinnati, Ohio 45241
(513) 777-8367 Botrytis@fuse.net www.Ohiopawpaw.com
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