KANSAS (KSNT) – Pawpaws are the largest indigenous fruit in Kansas, and the season for them peaks in September.
Despite being the largest fruit native to the U.S., many people don’t know much about pawpaws. Their season runs from August through October, but you won’t find them in any grocery store. The fruit is most often compared to bananas and features notes of mango, vanilla and citrus, according to the Kansas Forest Service.
Charles NovoGradac from Chestnut Charlie’s in Lawrence has grown pawpaws since 1995, but they weren’t very productive for the first 20 years. This year, production has been one of the best they’ve seen.
Photo of sunflower pawpaw fruits (Photo Courtesy/Charles NovoGradac)
Photo of NovoGradac’s first pawpaw tree (Photo Courtesy/Charles NovoGradac)
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“There’s so many this year that I just dropped them off at our local farmers market and said ‘We’ll talk about money later,'” NovoGradac said. “They have almost no shelf life, so people jump at the opportunity to grab them.”
NovoGradac grows the sunflower variety of pawpaw, which originally came from Wichita. He currently has about 20 producing trees.
“There’s only about two or three growers in the area that I know of,” NovoGradac said. “Typically we used to sell them at our farm store, but most people used to say ‘What is that?'”
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Pawpaws are often found growing in the wild in low forests near rivers. They grow from trees but are often found growing in ‘pawpaw patches’ that are all based from the same root system.
“They’re very tender plants,” NovoGradac said. “They’re at risk to droughts, young trees can’t take full sun, but once they’re mature they can live for 20-30 years.”
Although most people just eat pawpaws as they are, they can also be used to make a variety of deserts. NovoGradac says that he’s heard of people making pawpaw sherbet or ice cream, and that local restaurants often have a featured desert while they’re in season.
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“Most of our fruits in the U.S. come from over seas,” NovoGradac said. “But these [pawpaws] are an American original. They’re very tropical and good for you, so get them while you can!”
You can find pawpaws at your local farmers market, while you’re out on a hike in a wooded area, or even in your own backyard. For more information on pawpaws, check out the Kansas Forest Service website.
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