Author Topic: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13  (Read 4722 times)

Triloba Tracker

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Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« on: September 21, 2013, 09:39:09 AM »
Mr. Caimito and I just attended the 2013 Pawpaw Field Day at KSU in Frankfort, Kentucky this past Thursday.

Up to this point in time, we'd never tasted a pawpaw, though we have located a patch of wild fruiting trees in our area.  The remaining fruits weren't ripe as of about 10 days ago, so this trip to Kentucky was our only sure-fire chance to finally taste this temperate annonaceae family member.  Unfortunately it was a 4 hour drive one way :)

I was expecting a small crowd, but there were probably 150 people there, apparently from as far away as California and Germany.

The event was held at a very nice facility off-campus, where they have 2 pawpaw research orchards. Members of the faculty gave PowerPoint presentations about growing the trees, tree diseases and pests, processing pawpaws and value-added products (pawpaw beer or wine, anyone?), and information on current cultivars as well as new selections under development at KSU. Some of the cultivars being developed purport to have flavors of coconut and creme brulee - sounds intriguing.
There was also a presentation about the wild popularity of pawpaw in Japan. It seems like a pretty big deal, at least in some regions.

The day concluded with a tour of the orchard, and we were allowed to take any fruit we found on the ground. Mr. Caimito and I gathered about 10 fruits and brought them back.
There was also a tasting/evaluation of some of the up and coming cultivars.

The orchard where we gathered the fruit consisted of Sunflower and Susquehanna varieties (technically the fruit was more than likely a cross of the 2). Many of the pawpaws we gathered were overripe, but I still thought they were good.

The very first bite reminded me immediately of a cherimoya (no surprise really). I would venture to say there was also a fair amount of jackfruit flavor. Overall the pawpaws seemed more complex than the cherimoyas I've had (imported I'm sure). Several different flavor notes were present to varying degrees, though none were overpowering - bubble gum, canistel, flan/creme brulee, and even one fruit had a hint of durian at the finish (maybe due to its overripeness).  Though the pawpaw is sometimes called the "Indiana Banana," none of the ones we tasted had any banana flavor in my opinion.  Nor was there any mango, melon, or coconut, which are flavors that are associated with pawpaw.  Of course, there are several named varieties out there and we were only tasting a few.
The texture was excellent - fiberless and creamy - very smooth.

In the final analysis, I would consider myself a pawpaw fan. I probably had overly-high expectations because I've been waiting so long to taste the fruit, and I just wanted it to be awesome. I doubt I will have any pawpaw cravings like I do with durian, jackfruit, and others, but pawpaw still has a pretty amazing taste for a native, temperate fruit that I could easily grow in my backyard.

Here are some pictures from the event.
Auditorium

Pawpaw taste test

Trees in the orchard

Susquehannah fruit we brought home


Luisport

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2013, 09:44:29 AM »
WOW if i could i travel to US only for trying this!!!  :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

phantomcrab

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2013, 11:50:04 AM »
Now plant the seeds and grow your own cultivar.
Richard

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2013, 01:09:09 PM »
Sounds like a fun trip Triloba Tracker! Do you have an electronic copy of the presentation? How about the results of the taste test?

Ed

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2013, 06:23:25 PM »
Now plant the seeds and grow your own cultivar.
Exactly!  I think I will try to sprout them.  It's exciting that you really don't know what you're going to get.

Sounds like a fun trip Triloba Tracker! Do you have an electronic copy of the presentation? How about the results of the taste test?

Ed
Yes, it was pretty cool!  Lots of interest in the pawpaw - several folks seemed keen on growing them commercially.
Unfortunately they did not distribute copies of the presentations, but I suppose you could contact them via email or phone and request.
I also am unsure about the taste test results - we were pretty tired at that point and didn't even fill out a questionnaire ourselves :( Again though, I bet if you were to contact them they may be able to tell you.

On a weird side note:
We made some ice cream with the pawpaws we gathered off the ground. Some were pretty ripe and others were a little firmer. The taste was excellent - perhaps a little heavy on the pawpaw and perhaps we shouldn't have used the really ripe ones. But anyway - the next morning the 3 of us who ate the ice cream had some, shall we say, fairly serious digestive disruptions. I wonder if it was the ice cream or the chinese food we had for supper. Apparently some folks are pawpaw intolerant, according to information I've seen online  :o I'm gonna try the ice cream again in a couple days to see what happens.

Luisport

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2013, 03:29:50 AM »
Now plant the seeds and grow your own cultivar.
Exactly!  I think I will try to sprout them.  It's exciting that you really don't know what you're going to get.

Sounds like a fun trip Triloba Tracker! Do you have an electronic copy of the presentation? How about the results of the taste test?

Ed
Yes, it was pretty cool!  Lots of interest in the pawpaw - several folks seemed keen on growing them commercially.
Unfortunately they did not distribute copies of the presentations, but I suppose you could contact them via email or phone and request.
I also am unsure about the taste test results - we were pretty tired at that point and didn't even fill out a questionnaire ourselves :( Again though, I bet if you were to contact them they may be able to tell you.

On a weird side note:
We made some ice cream with the pawpaws we gathered off the ground. Some were pretty ripe and others were a little firmer. The taste was excellent - perhaps a little heavy on the pawpaw and perhaps we shouldn't have used the really ripe ones. But anyway - the next morning the 3 of us who ate the ice cream had some, shall we say, fairly serious digestive disruptions. I wonder if it was the ice cream or the chinese food we had for supper. Apparently some folks are pawpaw intolerant, according to information I've seen online  :o I'm gonna try the ice cream again in a couple days to see what happens.
I'm shure it was not from pawpaw it's from lactose!!!  ;D

fruitlovers

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2013, 05:24:45 AM »
Thanks for posting. Very interesting. Would have loved to have attended. I'm a big fan of paw paw after having only tried one and only one fruit.  8)
Oscar

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2013, 12:01:10 PM »
Cool post on Paw Paw, I remember a tasting we had oh,in late 90's in L.A. @ C.R.F.G. conference. They brought in Paw Paw's from Kentucky it was great!!!! 8) ;)

phantomcrab

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2013, 12:26:56 PM »
There is also an Ohio pawpaw festival in Albany, Ohio. This year it was held at almost the same time as the KSU event.
http://www.ohiopawpawfest.com/
Richard

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2013, 09:47:52 PM »
Richard - thanks for mentioning that - we looked into the Ohio festival but figured the KSU event would be more low-key.  I'm not a big fan of large crowds.

ScottR - pretty neat that you were able to taste pawpaw way out in L.A. 

I've been too busy to properly take care of the seeds. .. .I just chucked them in the fridge without having cleaned them. I'm not sure if they'll be viable or not. I plan to clean them and properly set them up for stratification tomorrow.

fruitlovers

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2013, 02:09:27 AM »
Richard - thanks for mentioning that - we looked into the Ohio festival but figured the KSU event would be more low-key.  I'm not a big fan of large crowds.

ScottR - pretty neat that you were able to taste pawpaw way out in L.A. 

I've been too busy to properly take care of the seeds. .. .I just chucked them in the fridge without having cleaned them. I'm not sure if they'll be viable or not. I plan to clean them and properly set them up for stratification tomorrow.

There are some people fruiting paw paws in California, even in LA area!
Oscar

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #11 on: September 24, 2013, 06:50:26 AM »
There are some people fruiting paw paws in California, even in LA area!

Oh yeah!  I should have known that. . Sheri Crabtree at KYSU mentioned that some folks out there are growing them, even in pots.
I am a little concerned that my soil is not deep enough out back, so I was curious about the viability of container growing. None of the faculty seemed too keen on the idea. ...

KarenRei

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2013, 07:05:22 AM »
Sounds pretty awesome, given that I like both cherimoya and jackfruit.  Wonder if they'd survive outside here in Iceland?
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

fruitlovers

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Re: Pawpaw "Field Day" at Kentucky State Univ. 9-19-13
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2013, 06:43:36 PM »
Sounds pretty awesome, given that I like both cherimoya and jackfruit.  Wonder if they'd survive outside here in Iceland?

Heard they can take -30F. I think more likely the problem is that your summers are not warm enough. Might survive, but may not fruit.
Oscar