Michael Judd - For the Love of PawPaws: A Mini Manual for Growing and Caring for PawPaws--From Seed to Table

For the Love of Pawpaws

Michael Judds For the Love of PawPaws packs between its covers everything you need
to know to select, plant, grow, and appreciate this native, widely adapted American fruit.
Be the first in your neighborhood to plant this tree that is both ornamental... and offers
an exotic, tropically flavored fruit thats easy to grow. Read the book. Grow pawpaws.

Lee Reich, PhD, farmdener (more than a gardener, less than a farmer),
scientist, and author of Uncommon Fruits for Ev ery Garden

Get ready to learn, laugh, and get growing! Michael Judds new book, For the Love of PawPaws ,
has it all: history, propagation, cultivation, harvesting, recipes, and even cocktails! Sit back and enjoy this wild romp through the sticky, aromatic, and delicious world of Asimina triloba , the PawPaw.

Jill Cloutier, Sustainable World Radio

Here in one slim volume is a compendium of information about pawpawthe best I have seen.
It collects the best info that is available online and offline, a huge help to pawpaw fanatics
who are new to growing, collecting, and using the species.

Neal Peterson

For the Love of PawPaws is a welcome companion to the culture of growing, eating,
and celebrating this uniquely American fruit. Michael Judd has captured the
knowledge and joy of the pawpaw community.

Andrew Moore, author of Pawpaw: In Search of Americas Forgo tten Fruit

All rights reserved 2019 Mic hael Judd.

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs 2019 Mic hael Judd.

The following fine folks contributed their amazi ng images:

David Eger, Earthy Delights: front cover top far left and middle images, the pawpaws in a bowl opposite title page, plus images on pages 100 and 112. Jonathan Palmer, KYSU Land Grant Program: front cover top right, the hanging pawpaw opposite the Table of Contents, Harry Momos hand holding a pawpaw on page 30, and images on pages 10, 21, 84, 92, 93, 98, and 99, plus the split fruit on the back cover. Lindsey Welsh: the main front cover image of Michael and the family picture on page 9, photos on pages 150 and 153, as well as the right-hand image on page 151. Kai Hagen: captured our house image on page 8. Elizabeth Somerville: the cute baby picture of Avalee Flora on page 11. Eric Baressi: the popping pawpaw flower image on page 13 and the image of the baby pawpaws on page 76. Neal Peterson: donated the pawpaw fruit images on pages 13 and 88. Todd Elliot : the pawpaw bark weave on page 14. Chris Patterson, Valley Road Orchard: the whopping big pawpaw picture on page 36. Aaron Elyk, pawpaw aficionado: pages 86 and 104. Alan Bergo, The Forager Chef: images of his great creations on pages 94, 107, 120, and 156. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: images on the front flap and page 96. Leigh Scott, whose food is as good as her photos: pages 101, 109, 117, and 118. Ellen Zachos, The Backyard Forager: shared the image of her tasty crme brle on page 115. Laura Davis: the enticing pawpaw margarita shot on page 121. Robert Bleifer: the pawpaw fruit brandy on page 123. Jane Deitrich, Bakers Brigade: the tasty-looking pawpaw ice cream image on the back cover. David Doyle: the back cover shot of Wyatt Judd sticking his hands in the paw paw pulp!

Unless otherwise noted, all watercolor illustrations 2019 Nicole Luttrell.

Graphic illustrations 2019 Tanner Csonka, except those replicated from 2013 Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist ; the permaculture illustration on page 131, created by Karl Schmidt; the PawPaw Fest poster on page 154, created by Matthew VonHerbulis; and the For the Love of PawPaws art board on the last page of the book, created by Mich ael Fritz.

No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without the permission in writing from t he author.

978-0-5 78-48874-5

Edited by Wen di Hoover.

Book design by Ponderosa Pine Design, Vicky Va ughn Shea.

Printed in the United States of America by Ve rsa Press.

Disclaimer: Information in this book is based on hands-on experience. The author is not a trained professional in any health, environmental, or other field; he will not be responsible for the consequences of the application of any information or ideas present ed herein.

This book is dedicated to Chris Paw Paw Judd
October 14, 1941 February 5, 2015

Che ers, Dad!

Introduction

Would You Eat a Pawpaw?

The pawpaw is a cousin to the custard apple and cherimoya, the only member of the tropical sugar apple family living in the temperate north. Basically, the pawpaw is a tropical fruit tree that hitchhiked its way north as the continental glaciers receded at the end of the Ice Age. The pawpaw is now found growing indigenously, primarily throughout the eastern United States and very southeastern part of Ontario. This amazingly adaptive fruit tree has become so popular that it is being introduced into many other temperate regions of the globe.

The fruit of the pawpaw tree is intensely satisfying and nutritious. Indeed, it is challenging to eat more than one of these succulentdare I say, heavenlyfruits at a time. The creamy, rich pulp has tropical flavors reminiscent of mango, pineapple, and banana that combine together to create a satisfying dessert. Pawpaws can grow wild and they can also be cultivated. The type of pawpaw you choosewildly grown versus cultivatedwill make a difference in how luscious and tasty a dessert will be.