O wonderfully ?
O ok
O no opinion
O Not good, at all

We're they raw? Cooked?

How often do you eat'em ?

I watch Vivian Howard's cooking show , for her accent more than anything,
She was eating them.

Paw Paw is a city in Michigan.

It’s also a town just east of Bendable in Illinois.

quote:

Originally posted by midwest guy:
It’s also a town just east of Bendable in Illinois.

That sums it up nicely, in more than one way.

Unique texture and flavor.
Compare it to a custard banana with large black lima bean-like seeds.
An all American fruut.

Barely edible.

Paw-Paw was a bouy tender my dad served on.

My Papaw (Grandfather) had a Paw Paw tree behind his house. I loved eating them as a kid, we'd just eat them raw. Its been almost 40 years since I've had one.
Its amazing how the mention of one little thing can bring back a rush of memories.

In the South Paw Paw is the term for Grandpa. He even sells RVs at PAW PAWS Camper City in Picayune, Ms. The commericial shows his grandkids kicking tires and exclaiming that's a good car Paw Paw!

Have the trees on our farm. I have always eaten them raw. Very sweet when fully ripened.

They are all over the place in Indiana. They are ripe when the outer skin is black. Usually September/October here. I tried to make some wine one time years ago. The batch worked so much, (maybe sugar content way too high), it overflowed through the airlock on the 5 gallon jug.

"Pickin up pawpaws puttin num in a basket,
Pickin up pawpaws puttin num in a basket,
Pickin up pawpaws puttin num in a basket,
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch"

My dad sang this to me while bouncing me on his knee. I suspect his father sang it to him. I never saw a pawpaw.

Now when you pick a paw-paw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big paw-paw
Have I given you a clue?

My in-laws have two Hillbilly Banana trees in the rear of their property. The flavor and texture are very interesting but they are a PITA to get any kind of usable yield out of.

It's that combined with the fact they don't ship well that has ensured that pawpaws never became a commercially viable fruit.

We sung that song, too. Grandma used to make an incredibly sweet jam out of them.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Now when you pick a paw-paw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big paw-paw
Have I given you a clue?

Look for the bear necessities...

I love fresh pawpaws. The scent when they are ripe in late September here is amazing to me. If I remember correctly, they are related to cherimoyas, aka custard apples. Seeds in pawpaws are a nuisance as there can be a lot of them.

The farmer that Lillian visited to purchase the Pawpaw's that she used on this particular show said that he grows 13 different varieties

And, he added that when the trees bloom , the order they give off makes him nauseous.

I haven't seen a pawpaw outside of the state fair in 25 or 30 years. I haven't eaten one in the same time frame.

I remember that it tasted like banana.

I have thought of planting a pawpaw trees or two in my backyard.

When I was a kid, there was a natural
Orchard in the bottoms on my grandmother's farm. I would grab a couple when they were in season when I went down to the creek to fish.



ARman