A Curated Collection of the Best Articles and News Stories
Why is pawpaw news so hard to find? (Or is it?)
Reports about our favorite native fruit are important because they can provide breadcrumb trails to golden nuggets of information and help us find:
- Not-so-secret public foraging sites, native woodland patches, or community gardens
- Local growers, farmers markets, and retail locations
- Chefs, brewers, and other foodies
- Facts around indigenous and folk history that weren’t taught in school
- Educators, workshops, and research
The articles below stand out from the pack due to unique content, insightful details, and/or exceptional photography.
The collected works are organized in chronological order (oldest to newest) and have been tagged with category labels:
- Breeding
- Culture and History
- Food and Drink
- Foraging and Outdoors
- Marketing and Production
Click on the hotlinks in the titles (above the excerpts) to read the articles in full.
Certain restrictions such as logins (free accounts) or paywalls (paid subscriptions) are noted.
Neal Peterson’s Goal is to Domesticate the Wild Pawpaw
“He is R. Neal Peterson, a 45-year-old agricultural economist who has spent much of his free time since 1979 studying the fruit. The Washington, D.C. resident grew up eating wild pawpaws in West Virginia and developed a scientific interest in the tree when he was in college studying plant genetics.”
de Lisser, Eleena. “Neal Peterson’s Goal is to Domesticate the Wild Pawpaw.” The Wall Street Journal, November 18, 1993, https://www.petersonpawpaws.com/wall-street-journal-1993-neal-petersons-goal-is-to-domesticate-the-wild-pawpaw/.
The Pawpaw Chase
“”Native Harvests,” praised by food critic Craig Claiborne as “the most intelligent and brilliantly researched book on the food of the American Indian,” entirely ignores the pawpaw, which was a mainstay of the Native American tribes east of the Mississippi. They feasted on the fresh fruit each fall, used it as a binder and sweetener in pemmican and dried it into fruit leathers as a wintertime staple.”
Burchard, Hank. “The Pawpaw Chase.” The Washington Post, September 16, 1999, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/09/17/the-pawpaw-chase/f462fbfa-5ede-4553-82c5-852d86ffa024/.
Pawpaws and the Ark of Taste
“[Marsha] Weiner is also the Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania regional governor of Slow Food USA. Her goal was to get the pawpaw aboard the Slow Food organization’s Ark of Taste. And in September she did.”
Weinraub, Judith. “Pawpaws and the Ark of Taste.” The Washington Post, November 3, 2004, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/food/2004/11/03/pawpaws-and-the-ark-of-taste/774a8aaa-024e-4fe6-96e2-36e8d056a30f/.
Pawpaws: America’s Best Secret Fruit
“By far the most fun way to get pawpaws, though, is to take to the woods and pretend you are a hunter-gatherer. I found my first pawpaws accidentally, while hiking within city limits of the Southeast Ohio town where I live. A ripe pawpaw lay squashed in the middle of the trail, revealing its bright yellow interior. I glanced up, spotted more pawpaws well within my reach, and unexpectedly entered into a torrid feral fruit love affair.”
Bir, Sara. “Pawpaws: America’s Best Secret Fruit.” Serious Eats, September 2014, https://www.seriouseats.com/what-are-pawpaws-wild-fruit-midwest-how-to-prep-and-eat-pawpaws.
Where to find pawpaws, North America’s largest edible native fruit
“The pawpaw tree grows on the banks of the Potomac, but you probably won’t find any fruit in the wild this late in the season, [Matt] Cohen says. If you hurry, you can buy pawpaws at a few area farmers markets and farms for around $5 a pound.”
Dingfelder, Sadie. “Where to find pawpaws, North America’s largest edible native fruit.” The Washington Post, October 3, 2014, https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2014/10/03/where-to-find-pawpaws-north-americas-largest-edible-native-fruit/.
Moving pawpaws into the mainstream
“But the germ of an idea had been planted in [Neal] Peterson’s mind. “Farmers know that all the crops they grow were once wild species and over the eons people domesticated them. I figured, ‘wow, this species has so much potential and needs to be domesticated. Of course, that means plant breeding but maybe I can do it.’””
Bennett, David. “Moving pawpaws into the mainstream.” FarmProgress, March 13, 2015, https://www.farmprogress.com/orchard-crops/moving-pawpaws-into-the-mainstream.
The Best American Fruit You’ve Never Eaten
“Growing up, the Husk chef [Sean Brock] and his family would pick pawpaws in the Virginia woods every year. When he started cooking in Charleston, South Carolina, Brock found that none of his kitchen comrades had heard of them. They were soon hooked on—and mystified by—the pawpaws Brock would bring back from his family’s annual hauls. “It’d blow people’s minds that this tropical-tasting thing came from this hillbilly mountain area,” he said.”
Balestier, Courtney. “The Best American Fruit You’ve Never Eaten.” Bon Appetit, February 22, 2016, https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/best-american-fruit-youve-never-eaten.
Cincinnati Curiosities: Pawpaws
“In addition to its fruit, paw-paw trees had many other uses. The inner bark is especially slippery, so a short piece of branch is quickly transformed into a whistle by sliding the outer bark back and making a few cuts with a pocket knife. Thin and springy pawpaw branches made excellent switches for driving cattle or pigs. And, while slick, the inner bark was also tough and resilient and could be braided into rope or used to weave the seats of handmade chairs.”
Hand, Greg. “Cincinnati Curiosities: Pawpaws.” Cincinnati Magazine, October 2, 2017, https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/citywiseblog/cincinnati-curiosities-pawpaws/.
What Is a Pawpaw and Why Is This Fruit So Magical?
“And while they may not have found their way into mainstream supermarkets, chefs who have access to the fruit are using it in delicious ways. At Dos Urban Cantina in Chicago, James Beard Award-nominated pastry chef Jennifer Enyart uses pawpaws in desserts like her steamed pawpaw pudding cake, served with candied green mango and lychee, and pawpaw flan with caramelized baby bananas. Also in Chicago, New American restaurant Daisies adds the fruit to their Sun Is Coming cocktail—pawpaw liqueur mixed with rum, lemon honey and ginger kombucha. At Laurel, chef Nicholas Elmi’s intimate restaurant in South Philadelphia, the tasting menu features a tiny scoop of pawpaw ice cream right before the dessert course.”
Stephens, Regan. “What Is a Pawpaw and Why Is This Fruit So Magical?” Food & Wine, July 24, 2019, https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/pawpaw-fruit-history-facts.
Pawpaws
“Pawpaws are an excellent source of fiber,” says Steve. They’re also high in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, iron, magnesium and more. If you missed out on this year’s pawpaw harvest, or have yet to try a pawpaw, I hope you’ve been inspired to seek out this fascinating fruit next year, whether at the annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival, a local farmers market or in your own backyard. Better yet, plant a few trees and start your own pawpaw patch!”
Donegan, Lynn Marie. “Pawpaws.” Edible Columbus, October 19, 2019, https://ediblecolumbus.ediblecommunities.com/eat/pawpaws?fbclid=IwAR24ilVQktY7RXBRjY2kzzvq4ywthEKDFe8q7eRJTDIzeQ3e630EwsQs27s#.XarmRql6etU.facebook.
Pawpaws may become Virginia’s official state fruit. What’s behind their rise in popularity?
“Native to Virginia and growing mainly in forests, pawpaws have been enjoying an unexpected moment in the sun. Cidermakers and wineries have embraced it. Foraging has increased, with James River Park System trails manager Andrew Alli reporting an uptick in visitor interest. A pawpaw workshop held by Virginia State University’s Randolph Farm this August fueled a mini wave of media coverage.”
Vogelsong, Sarah. “Pawpaws may become Virginia’s official state fruit. What’s behind their rise in popularity?” Virginia Mercury, January 14, 2020, https://virginiamercury.com/briefs/pawpaws-may-become-virginias-official-state-fruit-whats-behind-their-rise-in-popularity/.
Searching For The Pawpaw’s Indigenous Roots
“The pawpaw represents a cultural connection between displaced Native American tribes like the Shawnee and their ancestral lands in what we now call Appalachia. Removal robbed them of access to the food, but the pawpaw lingers as a ghost in their language and memory. Now, almost 200 years later, people are trying to bring it back in the flesh.”
Koscho, Brian. “Searching For The Pawpaw’s Indigenous Roots.” West Virginia Public Broadcasting, October 9, 2020, https://www.wmky.org/2020-10-09/searching-for-the-pawpaws-indigenous-roots?fbclid=IwAR3KTvkLANssXwkTr0V-BsZyZlhFl4XgXSFqOozKN0–GdF7YJiDhVNWqi4.
The Promise of Pawpaw
“Issues like climate change, economic inequity and access to food have brought more attention to this creamy fruit and its resilient tree.”
Wharton, Rachel. “The Promise of Pawpaw.” The New York Times, October 19, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/dining/pawpaw-climate-change.html.
The Mad Scientist of Pawpaws
“If pawpaws ever do become widely known and accepted, it will be thanks to a mild but obsessed man named Neal Peterson, who has been called the Johnny Appleseed of pawpaws, or Papa Pawpaw. Peterson, a Quaker with a sly sense of humor and an admiration for Gandhi, prefers the Mahatma of Pawpaws.”
Heavy, Bill. “The Mad Scientist of Pawpaws.” Garden & Gun, February/March 2021, https://gardenandgun.com/feature/the-mad-scientist-of-pawpaws/?fbclid=IwAR0nVpue8Skec7bn72B-YpLcgfAMcYX-xlAzQ_5W6gh9pyOutCcwkVnnW4Q.
Special Ingredient: Pawpaw
“Due to its tropical-flavor profile, [pawpaw] works well with a wide range of styles. It works particularly well in a hefeweizen. Lower your mash temperature to compensate for the unfermentable pulp. For mixed-fermentation beer, pawpaw works great on its own or as a partner fruit, and it plays nicely with a bolder fruit like raspberry or cherry.”
Stange, Joe. “Special Ingredient: Pawpaw.” Craft Beer & Brewing, June 13, 2021, https://beerandbrewing.com/special-ingredient-pawpaw/?fbclid=IwAR2ejdy6pZezzhPLaYHzotQKc4l5KdLj0-Ls_bnW6OT-FdL-jBGlGSTnGoI.
9 Reasons the Pawpaw Is the Ultimate Tree for Survivalists
“No tree will help you survive better than the pawpaw. Here are nine ways to use this versatile native hardwood and its delicious fruit.”
MacWelch, Tim. “9 Reasons the Pawpaw Is the Ultimate Tree for Survivalists.” OutdoorLife, August 27, 2021, https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/pawpaw-tree-survival-uses/?fbclid=IwAR1_TyyYtq-PeS3g-DIHpJ1Uv9BDLczsBSLTwycAh_YkOckUCP2KomBFRPg.
An Arkansas pawpaw expert shares his secrets
“[Mark] Blossom came to Arkansas from California in 1973, one of the thousands of back-to-the-landers who converged on The Natural State to scoop up property and plant seeds, tend cows and otherwise embrace rural life. His pawpaw superhero origin story dates back to those early days, when Blossom was exploring swaths of Arkansas forest before staking his claim.”
Gelder, Austin. “An Arkansas pawpaw expert shares his secrets.” Arkansas Times, September 9, 2021, https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2021/09/09/an-arkansas-pawpaw-expert-shares-his-secrets?fbclid=IwAR0BknlV3BAEjeRPLEzSYJ81ay9zdUCBQOyWNqL-5pBTsBlZsCwh1JWpqlA.
On the hunt for the fruit of the pawpaw tree
“Located in Allegheny County, Maryland, the Paw Paw Tunnel is a relic of the C&O Canal. Construction began in 1836 to bypass six miles of the Potomac River known for five horse bend turns, called the Paw Paw Bends.”
Geiss, Julie. “On the hunt for the fruit of the pawpaw tree.” Farm & Dairy, October 28, 2021, https://www.farmanddairy.com/columns/on-the-hunt-for-the-fruit-of-the-pawpaw-tree/690882.html?fbclid=IwAR0M570P-wVQFHL4qwJInM7y82ir2i6nonqm9hezacN1OM_JQwiGPPc9vt8.
This KC kombucha brewer brought back North America’s most mysterious tropical fruit; the time to taste it is ripe now
“I’d never heard of pawpaws until last year when one of our farmer friends brought us a bunch of them. We tried them in our kombucha, and it sold out so fast. It was incredible. But they’re really only ripe once a year; so once it’s gone, it’s gone. We have to wait until next year,” said Goldman, the owner-operator of The Brewkery kombucha taproom in North Kansas City, as well as founder of the Lucky Elixir Kombucha brand.”
Steinmetz, Channa. “This KC kombucha brewer brought back North America’s most mysterious tropical fruit; the time to taste it is ripe now.” Startland News, December 11, 2021, https://www.startlandnews.com/2021/12/pawpaw-kombucha-brewkery/?fbclid=IwAR1_TyyYtq-PeS3g-DIHpJ1Uv9BDLczsBSLTwycAh_YkOckUCP2KomBFRPg.
The revival of a forgotten American fruit
“[A] community of avid pawpaw fans across the US – from festival organisers and chefs to scientists and independent farmers – is expanding the love for this forgotten fruit, and they want you to love it too.”
Shipley, Jonathan. “The revival of a forgotten American fruit.” BBC Travel, April 26, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220425-the-revival-of-a-forgotten-american-fruit.
The Pawpaw, America’s Largest Edible Fruit, Grows Quietly in Baltimore
“In Maryland, which cuts across those highlands, there are pawpaw festivals from Harford to Frederick counties, while the largest commercial pawpaw farm exists in Carroll, featuring more than five acres and 1,000 trees managed by Jim Davis at Deep Run Orchard. On top of that, most of the pawpaws sold today—on restaurant menus, at farmers markets, on site at farms like Two Boots—are likely the progeny of cultivars, aka varieties, invented on the Eastern Shore, at the University of Maryland Wye Research and Education Center (albeit by a West Virginian, Neal Peterson, known by many as Johnny Pawpawseed). In the wild, too, pawpaws grow all around us.”
Woolever, Lydia. “The Pawpaw, America’s Largest Edible Fruit, Grows Quietly in Baltimore.” Baltimore, August 2022, https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/pawpaw-fruit-grows-quietly-in-baltimore/.
The ‘secret’ fruit that makes this time of year in Washington so sweet
“During this time of year, pawpaws burst from trees across the region. A person just needs to know where to look to find them and indulge in them. That’s where [Niraj] Ray comes in. The founder of Cultivate the City leads people on pawpaw foraging hikes every year during the short window they drop from trees — and, right now, they seem to be dropping more than usual.”
Vargas, Theresa. “The ‘secret’ fruit that makes this time of year in Washington so sweet.” The Washington Post, September 3, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/03/pawpaws-forgotten-fruit-washington/?next_url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/03/pawpaws-forgotten-fruit-washington/.
In Awe of the Pawpaw
“Since pawpaws spoil so quickly, I decided to preserve them in a sweet-and-sour shrub, combining the pulp with apple cider vinegar and sugar. After tasting the shrub, my mind immediately went to a cocktail I had in Peru years prior made with pisco, a grape brandy, and guanabana, a close relative of pawpaws.”
Childs, Danny. “In Awe of the Pawpaw.” Modern Farmer, September 24, 2022, https://modernfarmer.com/2022/09/slow-drinks-pawpaw/.
Pawpaw Season Is Here. Where to Taste DC’s “Tropical” Fruit—and Pick Them.
“Foragers can sometimes be secretive about the best spots, but pawpaw trees are all over several of the area’s most-visited parks. Pawpaw groves give shade to many of the locks along the C&O Canal. On Theodore Roosevelt Island, it’s hard to miss the trees, which usually grow about 15 to 25 feet tall and have broad, canoe-shaped leaves. And at Great Falls Park, overripe pawpaws sometimes litter the trail. Most National Park areas—which include Great Falls and Roosevelt Island—prohibit disturbing or collecting any plants on its land, but the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park allows you to take one half-gallon of pawpaws per person per day for personal use.”
Allen, Ike. “Pawpaw Season Is Here. Where to Taste DC’s “Tropical” Fruit—and Pick Them.” Washingtonian, August 29, 2023, https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/08/29/pawpaw-season-is-here-where-to-taste-dcs-tropical-fruit-and-pick-them/.
The key to her heart? A humble pawpaw, grown over 1,500 miles away.
“This is a wholesome story of romance, y’all. And I followed Schaaf on his journey to bring back the ultimate D.C. souvenir for the woman back in Denver who has him totally besotted.”
Dvorak, Petula. “The key to her heart? A humble pawpaw, grown over 1,500 miles away.” The Washington Post, September 25, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/09/25/pawpaw-dc-fruit-love/.
A Backyard Gardener Grows Pawpaws in Brooklyn
“Thirty years ago, when [Reza Farzan] moved into an unassuming mint-green townhouse in Brooklyn, he planted two baby pawpaws — a tree it’s safe to say that few on his block, if not in the entire borough, had ever heard of. What followed was a decades-long exercise in patience and devotion, in service of an overlooked plant that’s all the more charming for its stubbornness and singularity.”
Fitzpatrick, Molly. “A Backyard Gardener Grows Pawpaws in Brooklyn.” The New York Times, September 29, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/29/nyregion/pawpaw-fruit-brooklyn.html.
Tropical and native to Canada, the pawpaw fruit is all the rage for those in the know
“With only around a week-long shelf life, the pawpaw is a rare treat – and an outlier in Canada’s current food system, where we can buy seemingly any fruit or vegetable from anywhere in the world, at any time of the year. Because of the short window of ripeness, there aren’t any large commercial pawpaw farms in Ontario. Instead, they grow at orchards dotted throughout Southern Ontario and as far north as Owen Sound, each with less than a dozen or so trees. Every fall, foodies and chefs anxiously wait for the fruit to arrive.”
Edwards, Samantha. “Tropical and native to Canada, the pawpaw fruit is all the rage for those in the know.” The Globe and Mail, October 3, 2023, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/article-pawpaw-fruit-canada-toronto/?fbclid=IwAR1AIRRc68WPeMI613LehaHxJiBoOhDBLhOirbuYuxXyz9Xe5tGdyfEYum8.
The Untapped Potential of America’s Largest Edible Native Fruit
“Though decades have passed since those pawpaw-hunting adventures, [Devon] Mihesuah, an enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, decided five years ago to plant a grove of the fruit trees in her family garden in Baldwin City, Kansas. After gathering seeds from the woods near her house, she sowed and cultivated them into seedlings she could plant. It takes up to 10 years for pawpaw seedlings to bear fruit, so it’ll be some time before Mihesuah can forage for pawpaw in her own backyard. When she finally does, the plants will offer a “thread,” as she puts it, to the lost history of her ancestors.”
Shane, Cari. “The Untapped Potential of America’s Largest Edible Native Fruit.” Saveur, October 4, 2023, https://www.saveur.com/culture/pawpaw-indigenous-food/.
Consider the Pawpaw
“The Ohio Pawpaw Festival is a gastronomic heritage celebration whose theme is “Pawpaws to the People!” The festival’s founder Chris Chmiel organized the first pawpaw night with around 100 people in attendance to raise awareness and find a market to sell the many tons of ripening local, wild pawpaw. The 25th Annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival, although now massive in size, with approximately 10,000 attendees who traveled from around the country, even the world, and boasting various-tiered sponsors, is really no different.”
Meduri, Matthew. “Consider the Pawpaw.” Belt Magazine, February 15, 2024, https://beltmag.com/consider-the-pawpaw/.
Making the Pawpaw Cool Again
“[Blaise] Pezold, who serves as the Meraux Foundation’s Coastal and Environmental Program Director, works alongside Timmerman in what he refers to as the “Pawpaw Palace”—where they are exploring the tree’s potential as a landscaping option and versatile food source.”
Christiansen, Kristy. “Making the Pawpaw Cool Again.” CountryRoads, February 23, 2024, https://countryroadsmagazine.com/outdoors/gardening/making-the-pawpaw-cool-again/.