Paw paws are dropping

[Thumbcocker]

10 or 11 years ago we planted the seedlings. Just twigs. After years of fertilizing, covering from frost, and generally babying we are reaping the rewards. Life is good.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210830/b5a05868aa5b3ed78b160a9b914e4b01.jpg

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[Hogtamer]

they grow wild here around creeks and in swamps. Absolutely hog candy but they get gone quick. BTW, they taste great.

[Thumbcocker]

They grow in the bottoms here but don't always fruit. The yard is much closer.

[BJK]

I've always wanted to try paw paw. But I never see them in the supermarket. I hear they taste like a banana? Are the ones pictured ripe or do they need to ripen more? I seem to remember that they need to turn black to develop the flavor. I have no idea where I heard that but it was when I was a child.

[Thumbcocker]

Those fell off the tree and smell ripe. They taste awesome. Like a banana, a mango, and a pineapple had a baby. They are actually a tropical fruit but have evolved to grow here. They go way back as fossils.

You won't see them in supermarkets because they don't ship well, very soft, and have a short season. I have heard that microbreweries make beer out of them. You can sometimes find them at farmers markets.

I have read that specialty ice cream shops pay $3 a pound for them.


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[John Wayne]

HOG CANDY!!!! I'll have to plant some!

[Driver33]

Got 3 of them here cant beat the coons to them

[MrWolf]

Did you know they are North America's largest fruit? I didn't know it until I moved out here near the town of Paw Paw.

[Buck Shot]

There's a whole big thicket of them in a creek bottom near here. I remember noticing them because the leaves of the trees looked "tropical" to me. Apparently they grow from shoots off each other, forming pure stands, almost like bamboo. I've always wanted to dig one up and transplant it. Never tasted one...I'll have to ride over there and see if I can find a ripe one.

[Bulldogger]

There's a whole big thicket of them in a creek bottom near here. I remember noticing them because the leaves of the trees looked "tropical" to me. Apparently they grow from shoots off each other, forming pure stands, almost like bamboo. I've always wanted to dig one up and transplant it. Never tasted one...I'll have to ride over there and see if I can find a ripe one.

They have a surprisingly long tap root, even young. If you decide to transplant, it's best to get a very small (foot tall) one and dig DEEP to get it out. Yes, that means years until fruiting, BUT they graft same as any other tree. Just be sure to graft from different trees, make a variety of grafts, even perhaps on the same parent tree. Paw Paws are not self-fertile OR self-compatible, one must be fertilized by a non-relative tree. Some are called self-compatible, but they concede fertilization rates are much lower in those.

I was going to try to grow Paw Paws, having found some wild and enjoyed them, but can't at my new house (yet).

It's still on my mind as a long term plan.

BDGR

[Hogtamer]

They were planted in mass in LA years ago as an orchard crop, but that effort failed as they were too soft to be shipped. Yes, where you find one you will find more as said above, they grow off shoots from each other.

[BJK]

I'm officially envious!

[Plate plinker]

I ate a paw paw once, reminded me of banana. Very good.

[Char-Gar]

I read the post title and thought grandfathers we dyeing. Never heard of a paw paw in my part of the world.

[Hogtamer]

Where is dear little Suzie? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHu8VKD4Cvk

[gwpercle]

" Pickin up paw paws putting them in my pocket , putting them in my pocket, putting them in my pocket ... picking up paw paws putting them in my pocket ... way down yonder in the paw paw patch!"

My Paw Paw didn't have no paw paw patch .. just pecan trees and Maw Maw ... I never saw one or even thought they were a real thing ...just some silly little song we sang in grade school ... nice to know a paw paw is a real thing .

This is an example of the wonderful information gleaned from this site ... insanity isn't required for membership ... but it sure adds to the enjoyment !
Thanks for posting ... I never knew what a paw paw was /is :happy dance:
Gary

[jim147]

Missouri has a paw paw fest coming up. I think it is southeast of me never been. I have some on the place but never seem to get a ripe one.

[Thumbcocker]

I would not recommend transporting ripe paw paws in your pocket.

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[square butte]

I would not recommend transporting ripe paw paws in your pocket.

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Yep - That'll be a pocket full of mush before ya know it.

[Idaho45guy]

Only time I'd ever heard of a Paw paw was in the Jungle Book song.

[Rizzo]

Only time I'd ever heard of a Paw paw was in the Jungle Book song.
I hadn't heard of them either until I saw an episode of Moonshiners where they used them for their mash.