Petrichor Pawpaws
What is a Pawpaw?
Pawpaw is an amazing fruit with green skin and yellow flesh that holds a row of large seeds. They are super tasty and highly nutritious. They are an ancient fruit that evolved to be eaten by giant ground sloths and mastodons. These amazing creatures carried them across the North American continent and left them in well fertilized droppings. The closest relatives to pawpaw are the soursop, custard apple, and cherimoya. More recently, Native Americans not only ate pawpaw, but used the fibers for textiles. The early American colonists were intrigued by the fruit. George Washington was said to enjoy it chilled for dessert. Jefferson grew them on his plantations. The Lewis and Clark expedition might have failed if it weren't for pawpaws, as they survived on only pawpaws towards the end of their journey. (Moore, 2015)
Why should we be growing and eating the Pawpaw?
My favorite reason is to eat them! I think they taste like a banana, a mango, and a pineapple that had a baby together. There is a wide variety of flavor between each tree, sometimes including licorice or floral notes. It ripens kind of like a banana, going from firm- like an unripe avocado and phasing into custardy and then mushy. As it ripens, the flavor also evolves from subtle tones to ambrosial delight and on to nutty caramels.
The second reason is that they are highly nutritious and healthy. They are high in many vitamins, minerals, and protein while containing all the essential amino acids. (Jones, n.d.) They also have been shown to have anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties. (Cothron, 2021)
My third reason is that they are quite easy to grow throughout most of the United States. They grow especially well here in Appalachia and are drought tolerant once established. They are naturally disease and pest resistant so you don’t need chemicals to grow them. The only challenging aspects are that the seeds have specific needs to survive until sprouting and the trees need shade until they are around 4 feet tall. Once they are tall enough, you can introduce them to full sun and you are on your way to healthy, vigorous, and fruitful trees!
Who and what is Petrichor Pawpaws?
Well, my name is Seren Petrichor. This translates to Star who smells of the Earth after rain. I chose to extend this name to the Pawpaws that I grow and care for. I love the smell of the soil when it gets wet and I like to imagine the trees love it just as much! I have been growing Pawpaws since 2012 when I planted my first seed. That was the first, so I call that variety Petrichor 1.
If you choose to join me and my family in our mission to bring back the Pawpaw, I will do everything I can to ensure these plants and scions will arrive healthy in your hands. I love edible plants and my wish is to repopulate the Earth with natural and healthy food.
If you have any questions, ideas or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me!!!
Peace and Love,
Seren Petrichor
