Paw Paw | Naturehills.com HD

Video Transcription It’s September and what do we got? We’ve got the most unusual fruit coming ripe, and that’s the paw paws. My paw paws have kind of taken a hit this year because of the extra hot weather we’ve had. My paw paws are kind of in an eastern setting in the front of my house. I have them hidden behind a persimmon tree growing right here. There are 3 of them in a thicket and all of them produce, and produce very nicely. But this year, because of the extraordinary amount of heat, I’ve lost a lot of growth up on top and the leaves are just tattered and really not looking as healthy as they usually are. Paw paws are kind of an understory plant. They’ll grow in areas that are really heavily wooded. They really like a lot of organic matter in their soil. They love to be heavily mulched on the surface to keep the roots very, very cool. But this year, there was just no keeping them cool. The paw paw is a very unusual variety of fruit in that it’s related to a tropical type of fruit called a cherimoya. Although it’s in that family, it doesn’t grow in the tropics. It grows in the southeast part of the country, pretty much in the woods. It’s definitely an understory plant. But it’s so unusual inside when you cut it open. It’s just incredibly unique. It’s got this custardy looking filling. There are some large seeds in here, and those seeds can of course just be popped out like that. The flavor … it’s kind of that custardy, banana, a little hint of citrus in there. Definitely smooth and almost like a firm pudding. Even comes off with that kind of flavor. Definitely tropical for a plant that isn’t tropical. So if you’re looking for that special place in your yard that gets about 2/3 of the day sunlight, morning sun preferably, if you want a plant in there that gets somewhere around 8 to 10 feet, look at the paw paw. It’ll amaze your friends and feed you too. A great choice. Visit https://www.naturehills.com/fruit-trees-and-plants to see Nature Hills catalog of fruiting trees and bushes.