Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

Custard of the forest. Sweet, wild, and deeply native.

What It Is

Pawpaw is North America’s largest native fruit — a custardy, tropical-tasting prize of shaded creek beds and woodlands across the eastern U.S. With banana–mango flavor and silky texture, pawpaws are beloved by wildlife, foragers, and Midwestern grandmothers alike.

Use It Like This

• Eat fresh with a spoon (always remove the seeds).

• Blend into smoothies, puddings, or milkshakes.

• Bake into muffins, pancakes, or custard pie.

• Freeze pulp for ice cream or winter desserts.

• Pair with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Tip: Ripe fruit smells sweet and yields slightly under pressure. Handle gently — pawpaws bruise easily.

Harvest Notes

• Fruits ripen from late summer into early fall.

• Look for yellowing, soft fruit on trees or on the ground.

• Seeds and underripe fruit are not edible.

• Search in shaded creek beds and moist woodland edges.

Storage & Preservation

• Fresh pawpaws keep only a few days at room temperature.

• Refrigerated fruit may last up to a week if handled gently.

• Scoop and freeze pulp immediately to preserve flavor — it keeps well for smoothies, baking, or ice cream.

Cultural Snapshot

Pawpaw has a deep Indigenous history and remains a beloved seasonal fruit in regions like the Ozarks and Appalachia. For many, it’s a taste of childhood summers — fleeting, rich, and worth the chase.