Paw Paw trees

[jhoward11]

I have pawpaw trees like crazy. Do you all see any while out in the woods? Anyone have ideas on using them? I tried ice cream one year, but it wasn't the best. I thought about something like Amish bread or banana nut bread.  I know I have to get them before the deer do once they fall. These are the stories we come up with before turkey season roles around...LOL

[Turkeybutt]

Outside of eating the fruits raw, there are many other pawpaw fruit uses. The flavor resembles mild bananas and is a useful addition to baked goods, puddings, ice cream, salad, and even in liquors. You can make jams, smoothies, quick breads, and pastries.

[Sixes]

Never ate them but I know I like their smell.


BUT, I had very bad encounter with a cottonmouth under a paw paw tree. Early bow season, hot and humid, and because of the heat, I'm walking down an old logging road with a set of snake chaps across my shoulder with the plan to wear them out after dark.

The road went through a patch of paw paw trees and I'm not paying enough attention and step on a paw paw and look down and about that time, a HUGE cottonmouth moves about 5 feet off the road, coils up and shows me why he's called a cottonmouth. He's mad, I'm scared and my snake chaps are on my shoulder. I squealed and ran a few feet to increase the difference and then managed to get my chaps on, the snake had no intentions of backing down and I eventually calmed down enough to shoot it in the head with an arrow.

From then on, I wore my chaps and ignored the state law of no pistols during bow season (that law has changed now).

I really think the snake was using the paw paws to catch easy prey

[crow]

Besides eating them raw I mash them up and put on pancakes

[Sir-diealot]

I have never heard of these, in what region do they grow? Thanks. Did some research, here is the answer if anyone else was wondering.

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[Yoder409]

Never saw the fruit.  The only trees I've ever seen were ones I've planted.........which have never flourished and most didn't even survive.  I'm on the edge of the range shown in the above map.  So they SHOULD grow.  But...........

[Greg Massey]

They are a pretty neat fruit... it just doesn't have much of a shelf life ... it was another tree that was planted to provide food on the farm, you have to remember back in the olden days a farmer may have made a trip to town 2 maybe 3 times a year so it was planted alone with apple, peach, persimmon, walnut and pecan trees

[eddie234]

Turkey's like paw paw's


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[bear hunter]

Are paw paws limited by elevation because they dont grow in my area of the mountains of western North Carolina?

[Franklin7x57]

bear hunter. I see most in moist areas in central VA along rivers. The first year they prefer shady area to get started and then do well in sun. They also are harder to pollinate than most trees.

[jhoward11]

I live in Southern In. and just stumbled on them one day in our woods looking for ginseng. That was about 6-7 yrs. ago, and now I know what they look like, I have them everywhere. They taste just like a Banana (which is why they call them a poor mans banana). As far as looks, it's hard to explain. Green, not shaped like a banana. Best to google them... Don't eat the seed or the skin, I believe they are bad for you, just scoop out the inside. As far as ripe...I usually shake the tree and whatever falls off I know is ripe and ready for whatever I do with them. I think I'm going to try Banana nut bread and see how that goes.

[Cowboy]

Here is a few my Dad found back about 3 weeks or so. Also has a few Buckeyes there.

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[nativeks]

We have them here in KS. Ive tried getting them going on my place. I planted 25 seedlings and had a few going until the flood of 2019. I direct planted a bunch of seeds last fall but have not seen much.

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[firedup]

Unique North American fruit.  To me a sort of banana / Mango mix.  Lots of recipes out there. Including moonshine!  And if you can find a tree big enuff the wood is unlike any you will ever see.  A light to dark green color and great sycamore like pattern on the right cut.  I have roughly 30 producing trees and normally pick a couple bushel every year. I eat a few but have regular folks who line up to haul off the rest. My largest tree was storm damaged and it had to go.  If the pics work, here is a sweet trough call Mr. Brian Aliff made for me out of some pawpaw wood and a Cost style box with a crazy figured up hard maple lid that I built for myself.  The wood is soft and works up very similar to poplar. 

[bear hunter]

Good looking wood and box thanks for sharing.