The pawpaw fruit is not like any other fruit out in the market, it is rare and unlikely to be available all year round. Around these months the pawpaw trees are starting to flower and bear fruits.
Pawpaw is a mango-like fruit that is very seasonal, it is only around for a few weeks between September and October and it can be found from Virginia to Kansas and many points westward.
The fruit itself is very fragile and are hardly in any market. They overripe very fast and that is a challenge when it comes to mass distribution. But one farmer wants to change that, he wants the pawpaw fruit to be known and to be enjoyed by many people across America.
The Integration Acres founder, Chris Chmiel believes that the fruit can offer so much more to the general public and he wants people to appreciate it and consume it.
The pawpaw orchard near Athens, Ohio by Chmiel is trying to experiment ways in packaging the fruit. The orchard is creating pulp to be used in smoothies, bake goods and even beers.
A food scientist in Ohio University has done studies regarding pawpaw and found that the fruit is highly nutritious with a very high amount of anti-oxidants.
"It's about the same as a cranberry," Rob Brannan, food scientist, said. If there was any possible way that the pawpaw fruit could be given a "health halo" it would give it a boost in the market, he added.
Pawpaw fruits are considered as America's secret fruit, it largely grows in North America but finding the trees are not very easy.
The fruit's outside color is greenish to blackish with pale to bright yellow flesh. Its taste is described as sunny, electric, and downright tropical that reminds the taste buds a mixture of mango-banana citrus.
Not only is the pawpaw fruit extremely delicious, it is also very nutritious and savory.
