Looking for Pawpaws in Maryland
Yes, pawpaws are a real thing, and looking for pawpaws in Maryland has become a cult experience. That green blob of vegetation lying on the ground in the middle of your hiking path is a pawpaw, Maryland’s largest native fruit. The taste is similar to that of a mango, but the texture is creamier, more like that of a banana. The skin can be peeled off, or you could eat it.
Pawpaws were an important food source for Native Americans. Early colonists also collected them from the wild. The early 20th century saw the development of pawpaw cultivars for selected desired traits. However, after centuries of harvesting native crops, wild pawpaw availability has greatly diminished, making them more of a local specialty today.
Finding Pawpaws
My first experience finding pawpaws also involved a snapping turtle happily munching away on a pawpaw that had fallen in the middle of the trail I was walking. He was not excited about my interest. Pawpaws grow on skinny trees 10 to 20 feet tall. The leaves are uniquely shaped and easy to identify, but the fruit is hard to spot when still green. The trees are usually found in patches growing near streams and in moist areas with good drainage, an environment easily found in the Chesapeake Bay area. Many parks and green spaces have a patch of pawpaw trees. You won’t find pawpaws in a grocery store. Your best bet is to find them at a Farmer’s Market, or to forage for them in local parks.
The fruit forms in bunches of four to five, and when ripe, usually in mid-September, will turn yellowish brown and fall to the ground. Once fully ripe, the fruit will darken. Resist the temptation to pick green fruit from the tree since it won’t ripen once picked, but you will have to compete with other forest critters to get to the fallen pawpaws first.
Pawpaws are delicious and can be eaten raw, added to ice cream and smoothies. You can make pawpaw bread and pudding, and include it in salsa.
Pawpaw Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups pawpaw pulp or more
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups cream
- 2 cups milk
Combine the pawpaw and sugar. Stir in the cream and milk. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.
(Recipe from Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit)
