Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch

You may be vaguely familiar with the tune “Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch,” but just what is a pawpaw? Many have never seen or tasted the fruit, even though it is the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States. Pawpaw’s have a sweet, custard-like flavor similar to a banana or mango and grow mainly in central/eastern United States and Canada.

The trees are a patch forming understory tree that grow up to a height of 35 feet in a variety of soil types. The yellow-green to brown large seeded fruit can be up to six inches long and four inches wide, weighing up to 18 ounces. The fruit is sweet and is often eaten raw or used to make ice cream or baked desserts. It is not a common fruit found at the grocery store, as its shelf life is only around 3 days once ripened and picked from the tree.

Our personal calendar has September 8th marked down as the best time to pursue the fruit in our southern Illinois location, although the third Thursday in September has been designated as National Pawpaw Day by the National Day Calendar. On a recent trip to Ohio, numerous fruits were found at my brother’s house near Cincinnati at a family reunion. Youngsters were constantly returning from the forest with loads of the delicious fruit in their pockets reliving the words to the tune “pickin’ up pawpaws put‘em in your pockets.” They were a constant treat and heaps of fun for the little ones.

De Soto in 1541 gave the first report of pawpaws when he found Native Americans cultivating the fruit. It is also said that Lewis and Clark practically lived on the fruit for a period of time. Having never found a pawpaw on our farm, we transported the Cincinnati seeds to Providence Prairie and are attempting to propagate the seeds for a future harvest.

Restoration plantings of pawpaws are also underway across the United States, as the deep-rooted thickets protect against erosion and runoff. The native species are non-invasive with their large leaves adding to the under-canopy’s beauty.

The pawpaw seeds are in the ground awaiting the winter freeze and thaw. They are all marked with flags to remember their location. 

Pawpaws begin to bear fruit in three to five years. With any luck, we may one day find the delicious short-lived beauties here on our own homestead!

~Mark