By Cory L. Higgs
One Patrick County farmer has his paws on an elusive treat, the pawpaw.
Tex Wood, a Stuart farmer, has been working with growing pawpaws for the last two decades and wants to shed some light on the mysterious fruit.
“I’ve been messing with pawpaws for 20 years now,” Wood said. He says he’s never had much luck getting them to grow but knows others in Patrick County who have a flourishing crop of the mysterious fruit.
“I don’t remember finding them, but pawpaws have been around ever since I can remember,” he said.
The indigenous fruit has grown on the eastern seaboard since before the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century, according a release from the Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia State University.
Pawpaw was an important fruit during colonial times and is now growing in popularity more for its taste and nutritional value,” said Dr. Reza Rafie, a horticulture professor and extension specialist for the Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia State University.
The fruit was a staple for native peoples and gained popularity in the early European Colonies, however with the industrialization of farming and agriculture the pawpaw couldn’t keep up because it is fragile.
“They bruise so easily and aren’t crossbred with a cinderblock like other fruits, so shipping long distances isn’t possible,” Wood said of the green custardy-like fruit that is hard to find.
Patrick County is home to a few patches of this elusive treat. It grows wild across 26 states, from the deep south all the way north to the Great Lakes area, however, it’s most commonly found in the Appalachian mountain region of the eastern seaboard.
The taste of the fruit is often compared to a tropical taste, similar to a banana mixed with mango, something not usually thought of when looking at Appalachian native fruits.
Wood said the fruit is uniquely flavored and tastes,” just like a pawpaw.”
The pawpaw is not only delicious, but it is also versatile, able to make appearances in everything from pastries to salsas, even in some spirits.
Wood said the fruit can be turned into a plethora of different food goods, but pawpaws never make it that because he said he ends up eating his fruit before he has the chance cook them.
Wood noted that August and September usually mark the harvest season for pawpaws. They are sometimes found at the Farmers’ Market in Stuart, he added.
Pawpaw fruit is often called the “Poor Man’s Banana” because its taste is a cross between a banana and a mango with a hint of pineapple. (By Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia State
