There are vendors selling plants at the Oak Ridge farmers market but none of them I've talked with have ever tasted one! You have to have two plants for pollination apparently so I definitely want to taste it first. I've heard its an acquired taste. Hope this generates some information.

I disagree about it being an acquired taste. If you like banana pudding, many cultivars are somewhat like that (not a strong banana taste, but kind of similar). If we're talking most of the well-known cultivars, I'd think that the only real reason anyone might not like it is because of the texture. Creamy is not everyone's idea of what a fruit should be like. On the other hand, a few cultivars and frequently straight species plants do have an aftertaste that some might not like. Those with that type of aftertaste usually taste pretty good at first, but then leave you with an aftertaste that I just don't know how to describe (but just not as good as the first bite).

I like the idea of getting a couple trees, but just want to try it first. If I like it, I'd probably get many trees. It's funny how easy it is to find folks selling the trees, yet it's difficult to find folks selling the fruit. Even the Publix down the street sells persimmon seasonally - but no plans for pawpaw.

There are two BIG reasons the fruit may be hard to find. First, when the fruit is ready to eat, it doesn't look all that appealing (kind of the opposite of the perfectly blemish-free, fire-engine red, and waxed apples so many consumers are attracted to), and second (and maybe even more important), pawpaws don't keep long. Most fruit you find in stores is bred, at least partially, for very long shelf life. Pawpaws have a relative short shelf life. If you put them in boxes and ship them to the grocery store, they'll be rotten by the time they get bought up. They don't fit well with the way our modern society distributes food.

Several weeks ago, my husband heard a story on the radio that mentioned a place in Ohio where you could order fresh paw-paws. It is called Integration Acres, Ltd. We had been considering growing them (cultivars) but wanted to taste them first. So, while it was not inexpensive, we ordered some. They ship them in a very padded box, slightly under-ripe, with varying degrees of ripeness. The farm includes an information sheet in the box that is quite informative. They have been delicious.

Anyway, I think it's too late for this year, but you may want to note the name for next fall.

Thanks, redbird!

How did you prepare them, RedBird?

I thought I'd add a comment even though it's been three months since the last update. I don't usually look at the TN gardening forum, but I'm not that far away in the SW corner of VA and I visit Oak Ridge from time to time (grew up there). I've been growing several paw paw cultivars for a while now and I agree with everything Brandon says except one. There are people who really don't like the taste. The negative comments have been "tastes like overripe banana" or something to that effect (it doesn't taste anything like banana to me). I have no personal experience with Integration Acres but have seen others comment positively about paw paws bought from them. Otherwise the best bet is to find a paw paw fan and let him/her give you a "certified" good one. Farmer's markets may be hit or miss. I got some good ones many years ago at one after asking around if anyone knew where I could buy some. No one was selling them, but one woman brought me some the next week. I've seen some sold at the farmer's market in Abingdon, VA but they were small and black--ones I'd throw away. Even at the paw paw festival in Winston-Salem, NC last August, one of the vendors was selling way over ripe paw paws and they would be a bad representation of how a good paw paw tastes. By the way, the UT arboretum in Oak Ridge has some paw paw trees that I saw fruit on several years ago but couldn't know if they were any good since it was too early. Most of the wild paw paws I've encountered are small, seedy and are of mediocre flavor or have some bitter aftertaste, but here and there you will find keepers. I should note that most of the commercially available cultivars are selections from the wild or at most one or two generations removed.

The reason you don't find pawpaws in stores is because they are only 'ripe' for a few hours (literally). The window for picking them is like, maybe, 3 days. Some people like them slightly under ripe, some dead-'ripe', and some like them slightly over ripe. No one likes them very under ripe, nor over ripe. The riper they are, the more 'acrid' the aftertaste. If you've picked some and they taste just a bit starchy, leave them until evening, or at most, the next morning, and they should be ready. Leave them too long and they'll be nasty.Some people do think they are reminiscent of bananas, but I usually just describe them as custard-like.

I've never seen, nor tried to buy them at a store or market. I just watch for the trees during the summer, then go and inspect them in late August to early September. Near me, they are usually ripe around early to mid-September. Once you learn what the tree looks like, it's easy to spot. The canopy has an 'umbrella-like' quality, and the trees rarely get more than 16'-20' tall.

I think you'd be safe to buy one before tasting the fruit. But, I suppose that depends on the price. All that said, I've never knowingly eaten one of the special cultivars. I've only had what I have to assume are wild.

Rgreen48, you should try a few of the cultivars...especially one of Peterson's cultivars like Susquehanna, Shenandoah, or Allegheny...or one of the other really popular ones like Overleese or NC-1. If you like the wild ones, you'd probably flip your lid over the good cultivars. There can be quite a difference. Think of a wild apple (crabapple-ish) compared to one of the more tasty table cultivars.

As pointed out, ripeness (or lack thereof) is a big part of enjoying a good pawpaw. I still believe people that don't like the taste of pawpaws are either turned off by texture (including ripening issue problems), not trying a good cultivar (maybe just got a hold of a bad, wild type), or just don't like fruit period. If you like banana custard, there are pawpaws for you! If you like a pineappley or tropical fruit taste, there are pawpaws for you!

Thank you for the suggestions Brandon. I've spoken to the owners of a property near me, and they have both a pawpaw patch, and a stand of figs. I have no idea if either are special cultivars (they didn't know either,) but they are going to let me dig up some of each. I've cleared a space for the fig, but I'm not sure where to put the pawpaw. The price is right though. They also have a few nice chestnut trees that they let me harvest from. Very nice neighbors.

If I get a few extra dollars, maybe I'll try one or more of those cultivars!

Dave, thanks for letting me know about the Arboretum. I've lived here for 14 years and haven't been farther than the parking lot. Good reason to make a visit. Of course not in this weather!

Unfortunately, almost all the pawpaw trees in the area Dave mentions are dead now. I think one or two trees are all that are left. My guess is that herbicides were applied around the base of these trees and got sprayed onto the many suckers surrounding the trees.

These pawpaws were part of an experiment and weren't registered cultivars (any that I know of). I believe they were offspring from select trees though, so some of the trees did produce fairly good fruit.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't see the arboretum though Bibbus! There's some awesome hiking areas there, and, if you keep your eyes open, you might even see a few wild pawpaws growing in the forested area. There area a few patches here and there, at least one of which is marked with a sign. Of course you're not likely to see much/any fruit on these trees.

Some of the other notable things to see at the Oak Ridge Arboretum is the holly collection (one of the better ones in the US), the dogwood collection (mostly left over from experimentation), and a fair magnolia collection (part of the work of Frank Galyon and some newer varieties, some of which I helped choose/source). There is actually more to see there than would first appear to be the case. The more you look, the more interesting stuff you'll find.

Wow, Brandon, I can't wait to visit the Arboretum, especially now that I know you were a part of the work there. I may need a hike tomorrow after all the cold weather. Its supposed to be warmer tomorrow and we didn't get much snow this weekend after all. Disappointed about the Paw Paw trees though.

I was in Mexico recently and bought a fruit I'd never seen before in a local market. It wasn't my favorite thing but definitely interesting. The vendor told me the name in Spanish but I didn't recognize or write it down. Do you know what this is? It was a soft consistency like banana

Well, I googled it and found it immediately. Its a mamey. Wiki compared it to a baked sweet potato. Interesting. I found a website of exotic Yucantan fruits I've never tasted before.

Chicozapote

Chicozapote

Pouteria sapota (a.k.a. Mamey Sapote)

Well, that's weird, your second post just showed up AND it shows being sent 5 minutes ago while your pictured post shows 4 minutes ago. Somethings weird with this new GardenWeb.

And, BTW, Chicozapote is a Mexican common name for Manilkara zapota, which is a different species.