Perhaps you've heard that a few favorite foods face going extinct - bananas (which nearly ended in the 50s and are now under threat again), avocados, vanilla and (gasp!) coffee. The reasons are many - fungal infection, decreased water availability, and of course heat.
One bright spot is a long overlooked, spindly understory tree - called the "banana of the Americas" - the PawPaw.
PawPaws grow mango sized fruits in late summer/early Fall and can be found long river sides in forests. The outside is rough and green, the flesh inside is soupy, yellow and sweet with seeds inside. In other words - it resembles a tropical fruit but can be found wild in northern climes or cultivated in the mid-Atlantic and further south.
The taste? Somewhere between a mango and a banana. It can be eaten fresh, made into ice cream, added to baked goods or smoothies- anything you can do with a mango.
One bright spot is a long overlooked, spindly understory tree - called the "banana of the Americas" - the PawPaw.
PawPaws grow mango sized fruits in late summer/early Fall and can be found long river sides in forests. The outside is rough and green, the flesh inside is soupy, yellow and sweet with seeds inside. In other words - it resembles a tropical fruit but can be found wild in northern climes or cultivated in the mid-Atlantic and further south.
The taste? Somewhere between a mango and a banana. It can be eaten fresh, made into ice cream, added to baked goods or smoothies- anything you can do with a mango.
The wide leaves of a wild pawpaw in Guilford Woods - an area of forest in College Park subject to development by the University of Maryland and the Purple Line project. PawPaws are great stream buffer trees and can tolerate shade both in the wild and in cultivation.
Want to learn more? Long Creek Permaculture Farm in Frederick County is hosting the 8th annual PawPaw Fest on September 16th, 2023. Michael Judd, the farmer there has quite literally written a book on this fantastic fruit.
