Building A Sustainable Nursery
On Pawpaw: North Americas Largest Native Fruit
My Pawpaw Journey
I had my very first taste of pawpaw at the 2021 Ohio Pawpaw Festival. Growing up just 20 minutes from the only full time pawpaw breeding program in the world (Kentucky State University), I never realized the bounty of pawpaw fruit hanging right above the riverbanks during my birthday month. Known as the "Indiana Banana," this fruit is a hidden gem of the native landscape.
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is the largest edible fruit native to North America, and indigenous cultures have long used it as a food source. However, they were wise to limit consumption to avoid the inevitable belly ache that comes from overeating pawpaw—just like eating a whole watermelon in one sitting (trust me, I don't recommend that either).
Plant Profile & Native Range:
Pawpaw trees thrive in the understory of forests in the Eastern U.S., preferring moist, well-drained soils. While they are relatively low-maintenance once established, pawpaws can be a bit tricky to grow for those unfamiliar with their needs.
Storytime: A Pawpaw Festival Adventure
Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful that my first pawpaw experience was at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, where I had the chance to sample the superior cultivars grown by commercial pawpaw growers. Since then, I've tried pawpaws sourced from wild genetics, and let me tell you—they were by far the least appetizing fruits I’ve eaten all year. I actually spat the fruit out and tossed it into the woods for the critters to enjoy. Honestly, I’m not sure even they’d bother with that bitter mess!
Despite the occasional disappointment, my love for pawpaw has only deepened. I’m now a regular at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, where I tend to spend far too much on pawpaw fruit. This year, I splurged $200 for about 20 pounds, savoring the fruit through its month-and-a-half ripening window.
The festival is an essential stop for pawpaw lovers. From educational booths to food vendors serving up pawpaw-inspired dishes (the pawpaw habanero chicken wrap is a must-try), it's a fantastic place to learn about pawpaw cultivation and sustainability. There’s also pawpaw ice cream, live music, craft beer, and, of course, vendors with grafted pawpaw trees and hand-crafted pawpaw merchandise.
Pawpaws are more than just a delicious fruit—they’re part of our history. According to Lewis and Clark, during their perilous expedition across the interior of the U.S., they nearly starved until they stumbled upon a pawpaw grove, which saved them. I’ve also read that eastern Native American tribes planted pawpaws around their spiritual or ritual sites. While I’ve seen these references in various sources, none cited specific literature or material, so while I tend to believe it, I can’t say with certainty.
If you’re nearby, I highly recommend attending the Ohio Pawpaw Festival—it’s an unforgettable experience steeped in both history and delicious fruit!
Plant Propagation & Notes: How to Grow Pawpaw Trees
Pawpaw seeds have a reputation for being tricky to germinate, but I’ve found a method that works well, yielding an 80% or better germination rate. Here’s how I do it:
Collecting Seeds: Never let pawpaw seeds dry out! After eating the fruit, I clean the seeds using my teeth and place them in a damp paper towel in a sandwich bag. This is crucial—once the seeds dry out, they’re no longer viable.
Stratification: Once I have enough seeds, I moisten some peat moss (which I use for its water retention, sterility, and ease of sourcing) until it’s just damp enough that no water drips out when squeezed. I then place the seeds and peat moss into a used bread bag, tie it up, and refrigerate it for at least 120 days. I’ve found that storing them in the fridge until March or April works well.
Sowing the Seeds: Come spring, around mid-March, I sow the seeds into air-pruning beds and let them wake up on their own. Pawpaw seeds are slow to sprout—sometimes as late as mid-August—but I’ve never had issues with winter damage.
Economics: Making Pawpaw Profitable
Pawpaw production faces several challenges in the commercial market, mainly due to the fruit’s short shelf life and its difficulty in shipping. As a result, pawpaws are typically grown on a small scale and sold locally.
Locally, superior pawpaw cultivars can command $8–$10 per pound at farmers' markets. Some growers are also working with microbreweries and winemakers, where pawpaw fruit sells for $4–$6 per pound. It's an untapped market, but I’ve seen firsthand how pawpaw beers are in high demand—especially in breweries around the eastern U.S.
Additionally, pawpaw has incredible potential as a value-added product. At the festival last year, frozen pawpaw pulp was being sold for $12 per pound. And with the rise in popularity of pawpaw-based popsicles, there’s potential for this fruit to make its way onto the national stage.
Many growers report a shortage of premium pawpaw tree stock, so sourcing seeds from reputable orchards with multiple cultivated specimens can significantly improve the quality of your pawpaw offspring.
There are some great farms around that make scionwood available if you are interested in learning to graft your own trees, but there just arent enough nurseries grafting trees to meet demand currently.
Recipes: Easy, No-Cook Pawpaw Delights
While I’m not a fan of cooked pawpaw (it just doesn’t suit my palate), I do love pawpaw in its fresh form. Here are a few no-cook pawpaw recipes to enjoy the fruit at its peak:
Making Pawpaw Ice Cream: Easy Step-by-Step Master Recipe
Kentucky State University's Pawpaw Ice Cream Recipe
Purdue Extension No Bake Pawpaw Cheesecake Recipe
And while I’ll keep my pawpaw popsicle recipe to myself (sorry, I’ve got a secret recipe!), it’s another fun and easy way to preserve the fruit’s flavor.
Wood:
Beyond the fruit, pawpaw trees have some lesser known uses with the wood. The soft, lightweight wood is perfect for carving, making furniture, or crafting musical instruments (so I have read).
The bark of the pawpaw tree is also quite useful. Native Americans and early settlers used it to make rope and cordage, and it’s still used for that purpose today. The bark strips easily into long, strong fibers.
Useful Links & Articles:
All About Pawpaw: Growing, Harvesting, and Eating America’s Forgotten Superfruit
Civil Eats: Pawpaw and a More Sustainable Future for Small Farms
Community Engagement: Your Voice Matters!
As I continue building the Backyard Berry Nursery and writing this newsletter, your input is invaluable! I want to hear from you!
I posted a note yesterday calling on all passionate pawpaw enthusiasts to include their favorite stories or history including mulberry and yall didn’t disappoint.
I plan to continue to find new ways to include you all in the formation of the newsletter and with the response I received on notes, I will continue doing callouts similar to the one above, so keep an eye out for that.
But now is your opportunity to cast your vote for next week’s crop profile.
We are down to the last two crops that I will be growing in the nursery in 2025 so we are down to 2 weeks of the crop profile series. With that said do you want to read about pear or aronia next?
Your vote helps decide the future of the newsletter, so vote now and let your voice be heard!
Crop Profile Directory
If you’re enjoying this newsletter and want to learn more about the plants I will be growing and how to incorporate them, you’re in luck!
Below is a directory of the past two crop profiles. Feel free to browse and explore—happy reading! 👋
Thank you for being here with me on this journey of edible plants, sustainable practices, and the joys of nurturing local flora.
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions! I’ll be back in your inbox next week! 👍🏼
Much love
Many blessings
Travis
P.S.
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We bought a freeze dryer, which is an investment, but freeze dried paw paw is fantastic and would sell well with a much longer shelf life. We sliced off what we could as "chips" and then pulped the rest. It only took one time getting really sick eating dehydrated paw paw (got too hot) for us to learn! That was one time too many far as we were concerned.
We made Pawpaw salsa last year and it quickly became our favorite 😁