Ep 82. Gift of Pawpaw Trees

In this episode, I share a treat of gathering an allotment of veggies at Genesis Farm in Blairstown, NJ, gifted by a client who's become a friend. And the gift of coming upon Pawpaw fruit, having planned to plant a Pawpaw Tree in memory of my lifelong friend Elsa.

 We chat about the attributes of Pawpaw trees and how to start them from seed. And end with my special request for a few helpers to preview portions of a book underway titled Lesson of the Leaf. If you'd like to help, please email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much!

Link to Related Stories:

Fall is not Goodbye - sharing the story of my friend Elsa.

What's a Pawpaw Tree?

Starting Pawpaw Trees from Seed

Bulbs to Extend Spring Blooms 

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I'd love to hear about your garden and nature stories. And your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in :^)

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Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page

Thank you for sharing the garden of life,

Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer

Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com 

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Transcript

Ep 82 Gift of Pawpaw Trees

Sat, Nov 12, 2022 9:40AM • 10:18

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

fruit, pawpaw, seeds, garden, tree, plant, grow, dilemmas, flowers, gifts, sprout, transplants, genesis, farm, gardening, delights, new jersey, mary stone, ask mary stone, garden dilemmas

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights, and discoveries. It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:26

Hello, there, it's Mary Stone on the screen porch on a very chilly morning. Thank you for joining me. And thanks to those of you that reached back about the beautiful bulb collection that we shared in the last episode. I especially loved hearing from my friend and colleague Marty Carson, who gives kudos to me, but it's really kudos to her and putting together such a lovely lineup. I did get photos of Patty Doell's planting her plethora of bowls using the trench technique. I'm going to actually add that to the column. So, if you want to go back to that, I'll put the link again in the show notes. 

Mary Stone  01:03

So today, we have a treat to share, which comes from a visit to a community-supported garden not far from me and Blairstown, New Jersey. I was gifted a visit there, and amongst them came a surprise pawpaw fruit. So there's a story behind it I look forward to sharing, and it starts like this. 

Mary Stone  01:24

Hello fellow listeners and readers. What a treat to gather a biweekly allotment at Genesis Farm in Blairstown, New Jersey, gifted by a client who's become a friend. Nancy said her friend Lois would be there volunteering as a greeter if I picked up the provisions before two, which I did, and what a treat it was to meet her as well. Lois showed me the system of how much of each treasure to gather and the area where there were seconds or goodies not part of the allocations. Amongst them were the fruits of a pawpaw tree, smaller and uglier than usual, laughing about uglier, leading to a chat about my friend Elsa, who passed away a few years back. I intended to plant a pawpaw tree in her memory and have yet to do so. My excuse - nurseries don't often carry them, which is true. The God incident that morning was that I revisited the column honoring Elsa to include in the book underway. The column was called Fall is Not Goodbye, and it's archived on Ask Mary Stone.com. I'll put a link in the show notes. 

Mary Stone  02:31

Seeing the pawpaw fruit felt like a sign that Elsa is still with me. Lois said she looked up how to start a pawpaw tree from seed and that they tend to dry out. So, starting them can be tricky. She added perhaps planting the fruit hole would help keep them moist. And it occurs to me that while it's not likely the way experts would suggest doing it, it’s how Mother Nature starts some trees from fruit that has fallen to the ground that goes on eaten and just to case into our dear Earth. 

Mary Stone  03:00

Pawpaw is native to the eastern part of the United States and Canada in zones five to eight, and it grows in colonies, creating a beautiful tropical appearance. And since they love humidity, they grow best in moist ground, and that's why you find them along waterways and hillsides. They're fast growing to about 35 feet. Asimina triloba has other common names such as Custard, Apple, Hillbilly Mango, and Poor Man's Banana. Though there's nothing poor about the nutrients it provides. Rich and vitamins A and C, magnesium, zinc, iron, and potassium. The name pawpaw is a derivative of papaya as the fruit has some resemblance. And that's what I remember about Elsa because she used to love pawpaw fruit. I have to say I didn't share the same enthusiasm, but I think I'm going to grow to love it. 

Mary Stone  03:54

The berries start greenish yellow and turn brownish as it matures to six inches. It's the largest fruit indigenous to the United States besides gourds. It has a banana texture but tastes like a combination of pear and banana. Others say it tastes like vanilla custard with a bit of citrus. It's eaten raw or used and baked goods. Stay clear of the seeds, though, as they are considered poisonous. The fruit is not often sold at grocers either, by the way, because of its short shelf life. It's like two or three days they go bad, and I think they can last about a week if they're chilled. This isn't a problem for homeowners, though, because you can freeze the flesh and use it in smoothies or ice cream. Pick them just as they ripen before falling from the tree as they quickly ferment to an astringent taste.

Mary Stone  04:43

 So as I was researching about starting pawpaw trees, I learned that the best way is probably from root cuttings or transplanting transplants that you buy in a nursery that are grafted. I heard that taking cuttings from wild trees often doesn't end up with fruit. So, there you go. But since I have seeds, let's just try it right. 

Mary Stone  05:04

Seeds need 60 to 100 days of cold and moist stratification, which you can do on a Ziploc bag with damp sphagnum moss (not wet) kept it a 32-to-40-degree fridge. But I plan to let nature do her thing. If you remove the seeds from ripened fruit and then wash and plant them immediately in the ground in the fall, they'll likely germinate and sprout shoots in the following summer. Or maybe I should plant the fruit as Lois suggested and see what comes of it. Or maybe I'll just do a bit of each. What do you think? I have three ugly fruits, after all. I'm describing them as ugly. And that's not really true; I see the beauty within the decaying fruit that looks like a deep brown weathering potato with the magic of seeds within. We spoke about the Promise of Seeds way back in Episode 11. I invite you to go tune into that if you haven't done so already. It's one of my favorites, the promise of seeds. 

Mary Stone  05:58

The little seedling won't set fruit for five to eight years, but that's okay; it's the tree that I'm excited to have. Young seedlings are sensitive to direct sunlight in the first year or two. After that, they prefer at least six hours of sun each day. And so, it's often a problem when you're starting your plants because you can lose them if they have too much sun. So, I'm going to plant mine in pots and heal them in, which means digging the pots in the soil so they don't freeze over the winter. They're fussy about being transplanted, so I'll use large containers, giving them plenty of room to grow before I plant them in a sunny spot. Notice I say them. I have a feeling Elsa will help several seeds to sprout. 

Mary Stone  06:39

They say the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. And planting seeds may be the same thing. But I think the best time is when they come to you. Thank you for the gift. Garden dilemmas? Ask Mary Stone.com. 

Mary Stone  06:54

So I've written more about pawpaw trees and a previous story titled, What's a Pawpaw? It's on the Garden Dilemmas website. And I will of course, put a link in the show notes. But I have to give you a spoiler alert. There are photos of the fruit and the unusual flowers. Their purplish maroon flowers that come in early to mid-May in this neck of the woods come just before the leaves emerge or at about the same time. Some say the flowers smell like rotten meat, hopefully only when you stick your nose in it. Besides, they can't be that bad as butterflies adore them. And the other cool thing about the flowers is that they're not self-pollinating, which means the flowers are self-incompatible. Fruit sets only when there is more than one tree nearby. So hopefully, more than one seed will sprout within 15 feet of the first tree to encourage cross-pollination and fruit. But as I said, I'm not growing it for the fruit. 

Mary Stone  07:51

Their foliage is much like the favored Bottlebrush Buckeye, which is Aesculus parviflora we've spoken about, with large finger-like leaves that fan out from the center. They turn brilliant yellow in the fall, and drumroll, please. Pawpaw trees are A  in deer resistance per Rutgers University, just like the Bottlebrush Buckeye. I love the idea of adding a few Pawpaw right next to my Buckeyes. Though I've heard our resident raccoon may beat us to the fruit. That's okay. I'll share a few Pawpaw with the furry four-footed fellows. 

Mary Stone  08:25

That's the tidbits from the other story. And I'm giggling because I'm absolutely sure there'll be more than one tree sprouted from the magical seeds that were gifted to me - My ugly little pawpaw fruits that I find such beauty in. 

Mary Stone  08:39

And so, I have to share another little bit that was part of the written column. I ended with a request for those of you that can help me - I'm looking to find a handful of helpers to preview some of the work underway for the book that I'm working on called Lesson of the Leaf. It would be such an honor for a few of you to step up and help me just grow this thing, and my goal is to share the wisdom that we've learned together as we've shared these stories and to help others realize the comfort and the growth and the healing that occurs by digging into our dear Earth and observing the beauty of nature and those wonderful gifts that show up in our lives. So, you could email me at Ask Mary Stone@gmail.com. It would mean so much, as does your visit each week with me on the screen porch. I so appreciate our time together and enjoy it very much. I hope you have as well, and if so, share the podcast with a friend or two so more can join us in learning and growing in the garden of life. Thanks so much. Have a great day. 

Mary Stone  09:47

You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden dilemmas, delights, and discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch, and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life have a great day