Freeze Dance Along with PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Top WingPaws: America's Best Secret Fruit.

It is possible that America's best secret fruit is growing on a tree in your backyard.Maybe a county or two away.It takes effort to find it.The pawpaw's taste is one of its rewards, and it makes me feel a little more human.What begins under the canopy ends in the kitchen.

The largest fruit trees in North America are called pawpaw trees.There is a network of glossy, dark brown seeds in the flesh.There is a riot of mango-banana-citrus in a pawpaw's flavor that is incongruous with its forest origins.They have a kick of a yeasty, floral aftertaste that is similar to a wheat beer.Mark F. Sohn wrote about the flavor of pawpaws in his book.

It's possible to pass a tree with half a dozen things on the outside of a pawpaw.Let's say you notice the pawpaws and reach for a ripe one.The best way to enjoy a pawpaw is by tearing into it in the woods.Remove the skin, slurp the pulp, and spit out the seeds.It's a very pleasurable experience.Guess what you've eaten from the tree of knowledge?It tastes great.

There are pawpaws in the Great Lakes and the Florida Panhandle.The members of the Lewis and Clark expedition ate pawpaws for a period in Missouri in the 18th century.The yellow-billed cuckoos were depicted by John James Audubon.Our ancestors spread pawpaws as far west as Kansas.Native Americans were recorded growing and eating pawpaws in the Mississippi Valley in 1541.White settlers loved pawpaw fruit because it was the only fresh fruit available nearby.In Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, there are towns named paw paw.

The less relevant pawpaws were more industrialized.There have been some public-awareness issues.There is an abundance of folksy nicknames.Papaya in other parts of the world does not help any.Papayas are unrelated to pawpaws, despite Baloo's shout-out in the Disney version of The Jungle Book.

There is a groundswell, a pawpaw renaissance.The small but enthusiastic pawpaw community encompass both professional and amateur growers, and it culminated at gatherings like the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, a laid-back event now in its 16th year, where family hula-hooping workshops and presentations on paw paw propagation balance out a robust beer garden andThere is a line for free samples of pawpaw ice cream at the festival.

Easy-bruising pawpaws don't fit in the business model of big agriculture because they have a short shelf life.A scattered network of academics and horticulturalists are researching to see if that could change, if someday a growing and marketing strategy could make pawpaws an attractive new product in the produce aisle.The pawpaw scene is an exciting place to be right now.To be a part of it, you have to like it.

You have three options: grow, buy, and forage.There are many benefits to having a pawpaw tree, but it can be difficult to get a tree to bear fruit in two years.People who grow pawpaws aren't usually run-of-the-mill.I have never had so many quick and sweet responses to an email as my pawpaw query to the California Rare Fruit Grower's Society did.

You can't wait for fruit to grow.If you're in the Midwest or Mid-Atlantic region, you may see a few pawpaws around September or October.It's not cheap, but you can have fresh pawpaws shipped to you in season.Since NPR first aired a story about pawpaws, requests for them have gone up every year.The world's largest pawpaw processor is located in Albany, Ohio.They sell both their own pawpaws and ones from other growers and gatherers in the region.

Taking to the woods and pretending to be a hunter-gatherer is the most fun way to get pawpaws.I accidentally found my first pawpaws while hiking in the city limits of the Southeast Ohio town where I live.A pawpaw lay in the middle of the trail, revealing its bright yellow interior.I spotted more pawpaws and entered into a love affair with fruit.

At the peak of ripeness, pawpaws fall from the tree.The key is to pick pawpaws that break off with no resistance from the branch.A perfect peach has a little give under the skin.The ideal pawpaw spot is one that you can return to frequently and easily.

Let's say that isn't the case.Don't freak.Some pawpaws are better than others.This is the history of North America.Go with it.

Beer is sought when fresh fruit fails.One of the most accessible ways to bring pawpaws to the people is through craft beer.

Weasel Boy Brewing is run by Jay Wince.They brew an English-style pale beer with pawpaw pulp.They source buckets of frozen pawpaw from Integration Acres.A secondary ferment is created at Weasel Boy after the pawpaw is frozen.Wince says people look forward to it.It's available on tap and in kegs from May to September.You're not going to run across fresh pawpaws unless you go to a specialized place.A lot of people from here have never heard of a pawpaw.Does this grow here?Beer can be used as a promotional tool.I've had customers bring fruits into the bar to share.

Like several other small Ohio microbreweries, Weasel Boy began experimenting with paw paw beer at the urging of fellow brewer Kelly Sauber and Ohio Pawpaw Festival organizers.

Wince doesn't think paw paw beers will be popular in national markets soon.I think there can be a niche market, but never a wide application unless they change the way it's harvested and the product is more widely available.Beer is a seasonal thing.

You need an action plan if you strike pawpaw gold in the woods or farmer's market.Ripe pawpaws only last for a few days at room temperature.If they are fully ripe, they will do well in the refrigerator for about a week.The pawpaws don't grow well off the tree.Soft, overripe pawpaws tend to have off notes.

The flesh inside a pawpaw is too soft to be diced.It's a handy purée if you separate it from the seeds and skin.An even better alternative is a conical strainer with a wooden pestle, which you can use to extract it.The pulp can be frozen in a bag for up to six months.If you want to keep the air out of the refrigerator, put a little lemon juice in and press the plastic wrap directly on the surface.The best time to use it is a day.

What are you going to do next?It's best to use pawpaw in recipes that don't expose it to heat, such as frozen and icebox desserts, smoothies, or salsas.You can make banana pudding without banana slices.You can swap pawpaws for mango in a frozen yogurt recipe.If you want to incorporate pawpaws with dairy products, you can spoon some over a good plain yogurt.

Baking is an exception to the no-heat rule.pawpaw can be found in homey cakes, cookies, and quick breads, where its flavors are subtle.Integration Acres' pawpaw jam is divine on a cracker with chevre, though I've had mixed success with long-cooked, homemade paw paw preserves.

The pawpaw's appeal is more than just its flavor.These lost-and-found fruits are both abundant and rare, and this puts those of us with sincere stakes in the Pawpaw Conspiracy in a strange place of wanting to get lots of people excited about a semi-secret, wild food.Could pawpaws be the next ramp in five years?I hope not, but you will still find me out in the woods, feverishly scanning the low, leafy canopy for just-ripe quarry to pick.

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Sara graduated from the institute.She is the author of the recipe zine The Pocket.

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