Paw paw wild edible.

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Woods Walker

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Jun 3, 2010
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Paw paw.

Here is link to the all knowing Wikipedia for those who want information such as scientific names, full range etc etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba

A small grove of paw paw.



Paw paw saplings seem to shoot up from the roots covering the ground.





Close up of the leaves. They grow along both sides of the thinner ends of the branches.





The Autumn color is yellow.



The bark of a paw paw tree.



View from under a paw paw tree.



Lets talk paw paw fruit. IMHO it's one of the tastiest wild edibles going. Almost like custard. Paw paw fruit found on the ground. Notice the mix of black and green. They ripen in Autumn then fall on the ground. Ones on the tree can also be ripe. Just depends on how along the process they are.



Things are going my way!



Lets take a look at the insides of the fruit. I rather like the yellowish color and texture.



I guess the primary downside is the large number of big seeds. Not that they're too much fuss to scoop out.



Paw paw issues:

The fruit is really good so naturally other critters are in direct competition with you. I have seen coons damage the small trees to get that the fruit. Anything on the ground will also draw attention from nature's cleanup crew. After all the paw paws intend for these seeds to be distributed. Why don't we see paw paw in the super market? To the best of my knowledge paw paw aren't grown like other fruits. I think they don't ship well as the shelf life isn't that long.

That's my take on paw paw. I think this is a very easy wild edible to ID however don't eat anything unless you know for certain.
 
Paw paws are fantastic trees and fruit. They're very plentiful in parts of the Susquehanna valley. I've eaten then plain straight off of the tree and baked in cookies and breads. Folks say that they can be used in baked goods as a replacement for bananas since they have a similar flavor. Unfortunately they have a very short shelf life, only ripen in a short window in fall, and many animals will eat them. If you haven't had paw paws you need to try these wild native fruits!
 
Thanx for the interesting read. I've wondered what the hell is a paw paw(they forced us to sing a song about them in grade school).
 
Those things are delicious! Lucky you've got them in your neck of the woods!

The aussies make a pretty solid balm out of too
 
Great pics :thumbup: Most I find grow near a creek or river and there is a good crop this year.
 
My family used to own a farm in the northern most part of it's range along the Missouri river. There used to be only a few trees down on the bottom land by the rail road tracks. After the track was decommissioned, the trees really spread. They must be very susceptible to pollution.

We took a bunch home the first time we found them and made a shake out of the fruit. It did taste a lot like a banana shake, but cleaning the seeds out was a pain in the butt.

Chad
 
Are those recent pics? I know where hundreds of trees are but they dont produce fruit.
 
Thanks for the great post, Woods Walker. I have never found Paw Paw, although it's supposed to grow around here. You've inspired me to look harder.

Doc
 
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