A few extra points to consider regarding the distribution map at 4:48 ... The green color depicts the classically-defined native range of common pawpaw. The species, Asimina triloba, definitely grows outside of this range (as mentioned by a few people in the comments section). There are many reasons for this (e.g., alterations in the landscape, intentional plantings by humans, changing climate). This is to be expected. Nothing in nature is static. The distribution map for a particular species only records a snapshot in time. Still, to find wild pawpaws, it's a great idea to explore areas within the range shown at 4:48, understanding that your chances of finding the trees diminish the more you move away from this classically-defined native range. Happy scouting!
Not sure what species they are, but I live in Central NJ, way out of the green zone, and I know of 7 trees I can walk to from my front door in under 5 minutes.
Pawpaw trees make me smile. The trunk and branches are just straight lines and 90 deg angles. They look like a real-life version of asking a three-year old to draw a picture of a tree in crayon. The leaves and fruits look like a kid's drawing, too!
In 2020 I bought 53 acres of woodlands in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with 2 mountain streams, an incredible cave, and dozens of pawpaw trees. But not all trees bear fruit so here's a helpful hint for finding the ones that do. In late September, go out at night in moist lowlands near creeks and rivers and scan the area with a flashlight. Pawpaw fruit practically glow in the dark. They're much easier to spot at night than in daylight. I bought an ice cream maker last winter and I can't wait to make my first batch of pawpaw ice cream! Personally I'd say they taste like a cross between a banana and a pear. In other words delicious! Good luck, and from someone who contracted Lyme in 2021, PLEASE check yourself for ticks when you get home!
Sorry you have Lyme! Shutting the barn door after the livestock escaped, but when I'm in deep tick brush, I have my deet and my head covered, but I also wear...Nylon Pantyhose! 🤣 Seriously, find the biggest size you can find and your bottom half will be protected. I, too, live on the BR, and have only had 2 attached ticks over the last decade. Hope you are feeling better, and enjoy your beautiful land.
I have been affected by Lyme for years and just recently discovered that lumbrokinese (not sure of spelling) can be helpful to break the biofilm bacteria of Lyme. Haven't tried it, so no testimony to its effectiveness.
PawPaws are the host plant for Zebra Swallowtail butterflies. If you have pawpaws on your land, you can increase your yield by taking a soft paint brush and hand pollinate. My uncle does that every year. Mostly to get the seed to provide more food for the butterflies.
You gave me false excitement for a second. Where I live/work in Colorado are countless zebra swallowtail butterflies, but alas no paw paw in Colorado(so far)
@@rdreynoldsbanana, maybe you're mixing up swallowtails. In a few second on google I found that Pawpaws "are the only host plant of one of our most beautiful butterflies, the zebra swallowtail."
When I was a kid, there was a Paw Paw patch about a mile from our home in central Illinois and I would go there to collect Zebra Swallowtail butterflies. The larva of this insect feed exclusively on Paw Paw, just as the larva of the Monarch butterfly feeds exclusively on Milkweed. Unfortunately, real estate developers view these natural things as obstacles to be overcome, and my little patch is gone...along with the butterflies. ua-cam.com/video/YEWa6kuuYJI/v-deo.html
Pawpaws trigger fond memories of an elderly relative showing me how to find them when I was little in WNC. He is still doing well at 105 & a firm believer of eating off the land! I taught my nephew a couple years ago when he was 8 about paw paws after he sent a pic of some fruits he found by the creek, and asked if they were mangoes!
PawPaws helped a lo of early explorers survive when their rations were dwindling. The fruit can't be stored longterm but there are journals explaining how simply finding them in clusters when travelling helped bolster food supplies at least temporarily and prevented starvation.
@@ThatOpalGuy jam is great but don't think due to the extreme sugar content, it's a good food to survive on,as jam. And who knows if they were able to even get sugar at the time to make jam.
@@ThatOpalGuy There probably weren't any honeybees when the earliest explorers came through, because they are an introduced species from Europe. I don't know of a native bee that produces a nest with honey that can be harvested, at least in Minnesota.
I live in southwest Michigan near a city named after this fruit and I was LITERALLY just talking about hunting for some!! Thank you for your hard work and help!
@The Living Man I've been following his content about wild edibles for like 3 years now...are you suggesting that Adam heard me through my phone and made a video just because of my curiosity?? That's even more impressive! Lol
@The Living Man I like messing with them. I'll find a long video in a different language and loop it. Next day I get ads in said language. Works every time. So yes, they are most assuredly listening to your conversations.
I’m lucky to have one paw paw spot that produces fruit prolifically every year. I treasure it like my morel spots. Hopefully with the knowledge from this video, I’ll be able to find new locations. Thank you, Adam!
@@LearnYourLand off the top of my head, Sycamore is the first that comes to mind. The spot that I go to also contains a lot of Black Tupelo, Bitternut, and Shagbark Hickory!
We’ve been blessed to have quite a few thickets of paw paw trees on our farm. I’ve always absolutely loved paw paws and I’m always been shocked at how many people have never even heard of them.
I seen a zebra swallow tail butterfly the other day and followed it around my woodland property for some time lol. Was hoping she would lead me there!!! 🤣😄💕
Best way to get these is to have a couple of them planted in your yard, like me 😀 You just have to be willing to plant them when they are very small, shade them for 2 or 3 years, and wait for them to get big enough to produce. Yep, I really like paw paws! You can find cultivated paw paw trees for sale. You must get plants less than a foot tall though, because they don't transplant well once they get bigger. Shade is needed for young trees because they are normally an understory woodland tree. Once you baby them for 2 or 3 years though they require little care. I just throw some manure around them every fall. Yard grown paw paw trees are actually lovely full pretty trees with yummy fruit as a bonus. Mine are now 6 feet tall and beginning to bear fruit at around 5 years old. I'm a fruit tree nut. I also have peach, pear, fig, and persimmon trees but my paw paws are my pride and joy!
I love my pawpaw trees! I suggest you get a third one. One of my trees was almost the victim of an unfortunate accident - thankfully it pulled through but bloomed late this year so my pawpaws could not fertilize each other much if at all so I'm getting another back up tree. Hoping to find a larger one.
I'm in WV. We have a paw paw fair every year at the Paw paw fairgrounds. oddly enough I am in my 40s and have never tried a pawpaw. thank you for the video I will go out and see if I can find any trees. love your channel.
I love that you're based in western Pennsylvania, too! I always get excited to recognize the landscape in the background, and I always know I can find whatever you're featuring
We just planted a pawpaw tree in our yard after coming across one at a local garden center. I don't really know anything about them so this was extremely informative. Thank you!
Thank you. Had paw paws in my neighborhood in Ky when I was growing up. I was blessed, there was different types of apples, pears,a peach tree, big black cherries, walnuts, and persimmon. As kids we could eat all day
Me and my running buddy came across these last summer on one of our long runs, and I absolutely fell in love with the fruit. This year I have new pawpaw patches mapped out along my typical route and I can’t wait for them to ripen. It’s almost time!
My Grand Dad taught me about PPs in the 60's.. Found a patch by a creek in an oil field I worked.. Only time I found them off property.. Let em turn purple, then the seeds can be used!! Thats how I started my little patch.. Got 16 trees now!! So good too!! Taste like a mix of banana and orange!! Makes really good jam!!
I love your videos-- so clear, concise, and loaded with useful information. I want to learn to recognize and find edibles in the wild, and you are the best teacher i've seen. Thanks very much 👏👍🌿 (anybody familiar with the old nursery song, "The Paw Paw Patch?" 🎶We used to sing this, but i've never seen or eaten them. Looking forward to trying them; they sound delicious! Thanks)
I haven't heard that one, but we used to sing about going around the mulberry bush. I adore mulberries! And I've never had a paw paw either. But I intend to try! Good luck finding yours!
I sure do appreciate you taking the time to share with us your knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for the natural world. Thank you so very much young man You are awesome❣
Living here in SE Pennsylvania there are quit a bit of PawPaw's around here. We even have a lodge named PawPaw Lodge. Thanks again for this video, I learned alot from all your videos.
I live in the extreme north of Indiana. 30 some years ago I planted a sackful of seeds I had saved in a 30 acre woodland area. Last year we had a late freeze and there were no pawpaws. But I can usually find several along the trails in September
I'm 60 now and when I was a young teenager we moved right next to my dad's Uncle Nathaniel. We called him Uncle Thaneil for some reason. He was a character. He was short,dipped snuff,drank on occasion and would keep you laughing.He was a big influence on me about plants.I already loved plants from a young age but when we would go squirrel hunting he would name all these trees and medicinal plants.We had woods in every direction and a little creek that ran for miles. Paw Paws where all over the place closer to the water.I always loved going hunting for them in late summer early fall.Good memories are always made with people who love plants.
Pawpaw fruit saved the Lewis & Clark expedition! They were coming down the Missouri river, starving, and found Pawpaw's ripe for the picking! This fruit saved their lives.
Thank you Adam! I have been watching your videos for 2 years now and you have taught me so much! I keep finding Magnolia acuminata and thinking it was Paw Paw, but your video has helped me with this, so thank you!!!
Thank you, Adam! We live in southwest Pa. Grew up here, and swear I've seen these during my lifetime. We grew up on a 28 acre farm. Gotta watch with hubby when he gets home from work.
I love pawpaws and your videos! Adam your awesome!!! I live in southeast Virginia close to the James River and have found a couple pockets of pawpaws along the river and off tributaries.
If you do save the seeds, it's important to not let them dry out. Then, they have to be "stratified" (you can do it by keeping them in a bag in the refrigerator) before they will sprout the next spring.
@@camohunter I don't recall if I got a 2 year old plant, but going by the size it may have been a one year treeline it's been planted 2 years now, so it would be 3. Got it from the conservation society or so. Got my peach tree there as well, but 2 years earlier, that baby just took off! My persimmon got planted with the pawpaw and that bloomed this year.
@@kleineroteHex they do take about 5 years to start producing fruit. A grafted tree may yield fruit a bit sooner. But they start producing better crops as they mature. You do need at least two varieties of paw paw tree to produce fruit as they are not self pollenating. The Male and Female flowers do not mature at the same time on an individual tree so two varieties are needed. Good luck with it!
@@camohunter thank you!!! I asked when I bought it if I need more than one and was told 2 or even 3 would be best, with only one I'd get less fruit. Since I do not need a large harvest, my husband probably won't touch them😂 I figured I start with one. I will find out!!!
I can’t wait to look for them. Never had one, but I remember the song “picking up paw paws, put ‘em in your pocket, lol! Thanks for this informative video tutorial.
I really appreciate your videos! Great insight into all different plants and trees. I live in Central Indiana so Paw Paws are very abundant in our dense deciduous forests. I am going hiking soon and will look for premature fruits and remember where they are for September. 😊
I live in Indiana and have a PawPaw patch my Grandma gave me some seeds around 5yrsago and we have a abundance of them now make great muffins thanks for all Ur Videos I Always Enjoy them &Learn Quite a Lot Also🌞 Blessed Thoughts & Wishes🌛🌕🌜
You nailed it! That's exactly how I describe the fruit, a cross between a mango and a banana. I didn't get into hunting mushrooms and wild edibles till I was 50 years old, even though I was born and live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and was blessed with Grandparents who knew very much about wild edibles and shared many with me in my childhood. My Granny Elsie could spot many from a distance and always kept tools and containers in her trunk to harvest what she found. They introduced me to chinquapins, gooseberries, mullberries, huckleberries, dewberries, dandelion greens, poke greens, teaberry, and so many more wonderful treasures. But I was not mature enough and lacked the life experience then to appreciate it all like I do now. I decided to find out what pawpaws were when a jingle I heard on a radio commercial while driving reminded me of a song we sang in kindergarten, "pickin' up pawpaws, put em in the basket". As silly as it sounds, I searched online to learn how to identify them, and soon thereafter, again, while driving, I spotted the unique leaves along the road beside the New River. I'd found a group of several small trees and quite a few fruits. That year I experienced my first taste of them later in the season. I appreciate your channel, your videos, and your sharing of your knowledge and experiences! Thank you!
I live in the mid-Atlantic area, just outside the zone shown on your map. I've found lots of pawpaw trees on slopes above flood planes near steams but none that bore fruit. Many patches are likely clones, so I continue to search. "Hope springs eternal." Wish me (better) luck this year.
Non fruiting patches are a fairly common problem in less prolific areas as they are genetically identical and only a very few cultivars can self pollinate. I would suggest that if you do find some fruit producing trees, take the seeds or even some of the smaller whole fruits and plant them within a non-fruiting patch so that once they mature they will intermingle and provide the genetic diversity needed for pollination.
@@wholeNwon Thought: bud grafts, or whip grafts of a branch. The pollen from the transplanted branch will pollinate all the clone trees, and vice versa. Do it with a couple of branches through the patch, and maybe some selective culling of the clones, and you could see fruit next summer
OMG, I live right on the edge of where Paw Paw’s grow. I drove 45 minutes away yesterday to a forest and I had to collect myself because almost every plant was new! I saw this amazing leaf and found out it was from a Tulip Tree. And let me tell you by the time I left I decided this forest will forever be dubbed the “fruit forest”. There were black raspberries and strawberries and mulberries, and gooseberries, and cranberries, and may apples, and red raspberries (the wild ones), I'd have to look to see what else I found. I mean I found things that weren't fruit as well. There was the biggest patch of poke I've ever seen...so I guess there are poke berries too. I grabbed the youngest ones I could find. I bet you anything that back in those woods amount all those tulip trees there are PawPaw’s. I can NOT wait to go back in season this year!
all wildlife will compete. like goumi berries....as soon as they're ripe, they get eaten by something. birds have not allowed me to make any gummy-berry jam....but i have netting, now.
I stongly suggest pollenating the flowers with a small paintbrush because they are pollenated by flies instead of bees (notice the vaguely rotten smell emanating from the flowers) and if there aren't a lot of flies visiting the flowers you won't see any fruit unless you hand pollenate. I have heard of people throwing a carcass (roadkill) in the pawpaw patch to draw flies during the flowering season.
Been growing pawpaw for a few years in pittsburgh! We didn’t have any naturally on our property, despite having a stream / riparian zone and almost every other tree on your list. I hope more in our region learn about this tree and incorporate it into the landscaping of their homes
I'm so glad you put this video out on the PawPaw trees. I remember the little jingle of way down Yonder in the PawPaw patch of course there's more to it but that's all I was going to put down. Anyway you talked about tree identification I was lucky I had to do tree identification when I was a land surveyor and it sure has helped me throughout the years. I never knew where to find them until now and again I'm so glad you put this video out. Again thanks for the video have a great day and stay safe and keep your powder dry and keep on the look for the paw paws! PS I speak my comment but my phone will not print out Papa's, that's what it prints out, so I have to go back and print it until the very end when I was signing off it put Papa's out perfectly but not now. Just a little note about my quirky phone. I had to edit this as I forgot to tell you where I live I believe I've told you before but I live in the southern part of West Virginia near Lewisburg. There's a pretty long trail just north of Lewisburg that follows a river so I think I'm going to follow that River Trail, actually I think that's what it's called The River Trail but there's another name, and see if I can spot some of those trees.
This is awesome, thank you. I'm learning about pawpaw trees now and this is showing me i might just have some in my forest on my property... Stoked to go look!!
We have plenty of pawpaw trees here in Northern Kentucky, but I have never found ripe fruit in September. We usually have to wait until mid-to-late October. If they are not fully ripe, they will ripen in a paper bag. Nine out of ten trees will have no fruit at all, so it takes patience to locate the fruit.
I grew up in southern Ohio, just like you said, 1 out of 10 to find fruit. I knew maybe 10 or 15 groups of them, only 1 had fruit consistently. Maybe the Indians had worked a strain? Or maybe it was the place they were at?
@@markvolstad9380 It is my understanding that flies pollinate pawpaw trees. Look it up. They say to throw meat and fish around the trees to get the flies.
So good to know! When I was hiking so much 20 years ago, my only sources of knowledge for the local area were books and my mother in law ,who was from Virginia. She (apparently mistakenly) said they only grew down south. Now I know I walked right by them, for I have seen those leaves and particularly those weird flowers. If only I remembered precisely where?? lol My mother in law taught me alot, about growing food and foraging and I am forever thankful;.
I saw a pawpaw tree once that looked like a small oak, next to a large creek. I was amazed at all the fruits, big fruits in bunches. That’s the reason I noticed it. Impressive for sure. The little groves aren’t that common for me, but I’ve seen 1 or 2. I do have some pawpaw bushes in the woods, but the squirrel and deer get them before I can. They’re small, about the size of a large peanut.
I live a few miles north of you in East Brady and keep looking for the paw paw growing around here. Now that I know more on the tree ID, maybe I'll finally find one. I think I read somewhere about a story of paw paw propagation during settlement times similar to the Johnny Apple seed story where people planted the seeds etc so they'd have fruit bearing trees for food.
I finally tried them this year. Found people growing them in Ithaca, NY. They are delicious, I love them. They taste more like pineapple and banana to me though. The smell reminds me more of super ripe pineapple. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wonderful videos. 🤩🤩
Excellent video Adam! I live in CT, so I don't think that we have that species of tree here. I always enjoy learning about nature from watching your videos👍👍😉😉.
Great informative video. I've lived in the Western Va Appalachians my entire life. I tasted my first pawpaw 2 weeks ago. Of course I plan on planting the seeds we kept to build the population as they seem fairly rare. Enjoyed the flavor too. Very unique.
My grandmother always had paw paw trees here in Tn. She made jelly , wine , ect. Wonderful memories ❤. They do taste like ripe banana , mixed w a tropical fruit.
ahhh awesome n thanks! been asking and looking for pawpaws like 20 years and still havent found or tasted it yet. now hopefully some one quoted baloo from the jungle book.🤣🍻
My husband and I just love your videos, so clear, so friendly and you really want to ensure that we are successful. That is just so nice of you. Plus, you remind me so much of Bob Denver, and I just adored him...watch the movie Oh God! one day. Thanks for this great lesson.
The nearest i ever came to death was because of a Paw-Paw tree! I was about 5 yr old and there was this Paw-Paw tree out back of the house, I clime the tree and was reaching for the biggest paw-paw i had ever seen then the limb broke i heard something go KA-THUD i looked around and it was me! I landed on my back on this big ol flat rock, I found out that day just how brittle and easy to break paw-paw tree's and limbs are, Funny thing i just dreamed about paw-paw's a few days ago!! I'm 78 now and still love dem dang Paw-Paw's
Here in Tennessee the paw paw tree's grow up and down creeks. They are a really delicious and very healthy food. One creek that I find them on has hundreds of paw paws in a short distance. Very abundant. Get out in the woods if you can. You're body will thank you for it. Thanks Adam.
@@brucefluckiger5389 We used to make paw paw seed coffee. It's kinda the same process as Civet poop coffee, but the raccoons did the work. You're saying this was dangerous? **Just a note, this was just sarcasm, don't really eat or drink anything that has passed through a raccoon.
@@brucefluckiger5389 Sincerely, what is it you are referring to on the raccoons? I have skinned many way back when, been in barns clear full of their evidence. Coincidentally, a buddy and I were just talking yesterday about how "don't touch turtles, "salmonella salmonella" and how we needed to go set some lines for some good old turtle soup.
Also, a very interesting thing. A guy I ran across plants paw paw trees. He picks up road kill at pollination time to bring in flies to pollinate them.
You should've mentioned that pawpaw seeds need cold exposure (to simulate overwintering) in order to be fertile for planting later. I have had success with the refrigerator, but I have been told they need to stay moist so I kept them in plastic. I don't know how accurate that part is but they did germinate, so no harm was done. I love pawpaws and wish they got more love and propagation.
In order to do this, put the pawpaw seed in moist, not wet & not hot, just moist coffee grounds and put them in the fridge all winter. Pawpaw seeds usually do not have high germination rates so do this with a lot of seeds. The coffee grounds are acidic enough that they won't mold with a a little moisture and the seeds need a little bit. I'm growing some trees in my yard and I always save the seeds this way for any friends who want them. A lot of my friends now have seedlings with this method.
A few extra points to consider regarding the distribution map at 4:48 ... The green color depicts the classically-defined native range of common pawpaw. The species, Asimina triloba, definitely grows outside of this range (as mentioned by a few people in the comments section). There are many reasons for this (e.g., alterations in the landscape, intentional plantings by humans, changing climate). This is to be expected. Nothing in nature is static. The distribution map for a particular species only records a snapshot in time. Still, to find wild pawpaws, it's a great idea to explore areas within the range shown at 4:48, understanding that your chances of finding the trees diminish the more you move away from this classically-defined native range. Happy scouting!
are you aware of any pawpaw thickets around the ( North Park ) Park area?
North of Pittsburgh?.
went looking the other day but did not have any luck.
You ever go to the PawPaw festival at Lake Snowden in Athens County Ohio? It's a lot of fun.
Not sure what species they are, but I live in Central NJ, way out of the green zone, and I know of 7 trees I can walk to from my front door in under 5 minutes.
Paw Paw grows on the same root. Where there is one, there is many.
What's the best thing you could tell me about learning trees any books or guides groups maybe
For the best texture an flavor, the optimal time to harvest is somewhere between the time they fall from the tree and hit the ground.
yep, within about eight inches from hitting the ground is just right.
LOL
Yes the gravity catch method
I use nets higher than a deer can reach
@@robertfulmer8475 when theres a paw paw or a persimmon, deer will figure out how to win. : )
Pawpaw trees make me smile. The trunk and branches are just straight lines and 90 deg angles. They look like a real-life version of asking a three-year old to draw a picture of a tree in crayon. The leaves and fruits look like a kid's drawing, too!
Lol, when I was little I used to ask my papaw to find me one of those tree potatoes.
Lol great description
In 2020 I bought 53 acres of woodlands in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with 2 mountain streams, an incredible cave, and dozens of pawpaw trees. But not all trees bear fruit so here's a helpful hint for finding the ones that do. In late September, go out at night in moist lowlands near creeks and rivers and scan the area with a flashlight. Pawpaw fruit practically glow in the dark. They're much easier to spot at night than in daylight. I bought an ice cream maker last winter and I can't wait to make my first batch of pawpaw ice cream! Personally I'd say they taste like a cross between a banana and a pear. In other words delicious! Good luck, and from someone who contracted Lyme in 2021, PLEASE check yourself for ticks when you get home!
Sorry you have Lyme! Shutting the barn door after the livestock escaped, but when I'm in deep tick brush, I have my deet and my head covered, but I also wear...Nylon Pantyhose! 🤣 Seriously, find the biggest size you can find and your bottom half will be protected. I, too, live on the BR, and have only had 2 attached ticks over the last decade. Hope you are feeling better, and enjoy your beautiful land.
Thank you I live in VA and just learned about this. Love the fact there is a fruit that requires adventuring to find.
Oh Jon! Lots of creatures would also venture out at night! What it would be if we unknowingly stepped on a mean one out of those?
I have been affected by Lyme for years and just recently discovered that lumbrokinese (not sure of spelling) can be helpful to break the biofilm bacteria of Lyme. Haven't tried it, so no testimony to its effectiveness.
Wow great tip. You must get tons of fireflies in June.
I love woodlands and everything that goes with them. Flora and fauna.
PawPaws are the host plant for Zebra Swallowtail butterflies. If you have pawpaws on your land, you can increase your yield by taking a soft paint brush and hand pollinate. My uncle does that every year. Mostly to get the seed to provide more food for the butterflies.
You gave me false excitement for a second. Where I live/work in Colorado are countless zebra swallowtail butterflies, but alas no paw paw in Colorado(so far)
How kind of your uncle and wonderful for you to spread the information...thankyou
@@rdreynoldsbanana, maybe you're mixing up swallowtails.
In a few second on google I found that Pawpaws "are the only host plant of one of our most beautiful butterflies, the zebra swallowtail."
@@iamgoddard I re-looked at my picture... Western swallowtail butterfly 🤦♂️🤦♂️😅
When I was a kid, there was a Paw Paw patch about a mile from our home in central Illinois and I would go there to collect Zebra Swallowtail butterflies. The larva of this insect feed exclusively on Paw Paw, just as the larva of the Monarch butterfly feeds exclusively on Milkweed. Unfortunately, real estate developers view these natural things as obstacles to be overcome, and my little patch is gone...along with the butterflies.
ua-cam.com/video/YEWa6kuuYJI/v-deo.html
Pawpaws trigger fond memories of an elderly relative showing me how to find them when I was little in WNC. He is still doing well at 105 & a firm believer of eating off the land! I taught my nephew a couple years ago when he was 8 about paw paws after he sent a pic of some fruits he found by the creek, and asked if they were mangoes!
You are a gifted teacher. Thank you so much for making these videos.
PawPaws helped a lo of early explorers survive when their rations were dwindling. The fruit can't be stored longterm but there are journals explaining how simply finding them in clusters when travelling helped bolster food supplies at least temporarily and prevented starvation.
never heard of jam??
@@ThatOpalGuy jam is great but don't think due to the extreme sugar content, it's a good food to survive on,as jam. And who knows if they were able to even get sugar at the time to make jam.
@@pattiannepascual honey?
@@ThatOpalGuy There probably weren't any honeybees when the earliest explorers came through, because they are an introduced species from Europe. I don't know of a native bee that produces a nest with honey that can be harvested, at least in Minnesota.
@@erutuon good point
I live in southwest Michigan near a city named after this fruit and I was LITERALLY just talking about hunting for some!! Thank you for your hard work and help!
I’m right there, too. It amazes me how few people know of them.
@The Living Man I've been following his content about wild edibles for like 3 years now...are you suggesting that Adam heard me through my phone and made a video just because of my curiosity?? That's even more impressive! Lol
@The Living Man I like messing with them. I'll find a long video in a different language and loop it. Next day I get ads in said language. Works every time. So yes, they are most assuredly listening to your conversations.
Same!
I know that city!
I’m lucky to have one paw paw spot that produces fruit prolifically every year. I treasure it like my morel spots. Hopefully with the knowledge from this video, I’ll be able to find new locations. Thank you, Adam!
Awesome. Thanks for watching! I wonder what the major tree associates are in Alabama.
@@LearnYourLand off the top of my head, Sycamore is the first that comes to mind. The spot that I go to also contains a lot of Black Tupelo, Bitternut, and Shagbark Hickory!
This is a conversation between some of my favorite UA-cam celebrities! I feel incredibly lucky to be part of it. Lol. I love plant people! 🪴:
They grow by my creek I think. I'll be looking closer now. Love the videos Adam. Thank you.
that's where i first found them.
We’ve been blessed to have quite a few thickets of paw paw trees on our farm. I’ve always absolutely loved paw paws and I’m always been shocked at how many people have never even heard of them.
Count me in on that ☝️
I think it's the name - Paw Paw 😄
I live in Oregon🇺🇲
Pawpaw is on my list of trees and plants I am going to go out and look for here in Indiana. Thank you for the info it will help me immensely.
I'm in Indiana too and once you learn their leaf they are very easy to spot on the side of the road, you'll realize you are surrounded by them!
@@BvilleBootlegger thank you.
I live near where you do an I have been helped so much by these videos. As many times , I need the food you are showing us,I am grateful.
Every year I make pawpaw jam and can it. we are in southern west virginia. The grandkids love it.
Kansas City, Missouri is prolific with PawPaw 😊 very lucky
Love ❤️ this dude , he's so happy and concise in his descriptions of all these plants !!
I seen a zebra swallow tail butterfly the other day and followed it around my woodland property for some time lol. Was hoping she would lead me there!!! 🤣😄💕
WHUT
@@victorbunch7725 she was so beautiful!! I’m going out to look for the trees again now, I know they are around!!! 😁
@@Jo_mommah Hi Seedy sower, What kind of seeds do u sow!
I once saw a possum picking up paw-paw's & puttin them in his pocket!!!
@@victorbunch7725 lol
Best way to get these is to have a couple of them planted in your yard, like me 😀 You just have to be willing to plant them when they are very small, shade them for 2 or 3 years, and wait for them to get big enough to produce. Yep, I really like paw paws! You can find cultivated paw paw trees for sale. You must get plants less than a foot tall though, because they don't transplant well once they get bigger. Shade is needed for young trees because they are normally an understory woodland tree. Once you baby them for 2 or 3 years though they require little care. I just throw some manure around them every fall. Yard grown paw paw trees are actually lovely full pretty trees with yummy fruit as a bonus. Mine are now 6 feet tall and beginning to bear fruit at around 5 years old. I'm a fruit tree nut. I also have peach, pear, fig, and persimmon trees but my paw paws are my pride and joy!
I love my pawpaw trees! I suggest you get a third one. One of my trees was almost the victim of an unfortunate accident - thankfully it pulled through but bloomed late this year so my pawpaws could not fertilize each other much if at all so I'm getting another back up tree. Hoping to find a larger one.
I'm in WV. We have a paw paw fair every year at the Paw paw fairgrounds. oddly enough I am in my 40s and have never tried a pawpaw. thank you for the video I will go out and see if I can find any trees. love your channel.
Does WV have a pawpaw fair?
when you find a fruiting tree you have to watch it closely around harvest time.
as soon as they're ripe, many critters compete for the fruits.
I love that you're based in western Pennsylvania, too! I always get excited to recognize the landscape in the background, and I always know I can find whatever you're featuring
Yes! I needed this video
We just planted a pawpaw tree in our yard after coming across one at a local garden center. I don't really know anything about them so this was extremely informative. Thank you!
If you planted it so that you can have fruit you will need to plant another, genetically different, Pawpaw. I ordered mine from a nursery.
get another one or two...or it may not ever fruit well.
Just be aware that they really do sucker a lot. I planted two about fifteen years ago and now I have a pawpaw forest.
The you Adam for another lesson on tree identification. My eyes will be searching the woods tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your videos with us. 🇺🇸
Thank you. Had paw paws in my neighborhood in Ky when I was growing up. I was blessed, there was different types of apples, pears,a peach tree, big black cherries, walnuts, and persimmon. As kids we could eat all day
Love persimmons!! Deer do, too.
@@wholeNwon The local DEC representative told me that pawpaws are bears' favorite food. Do you know anything about that?
@@grovermartin6874 No bears where I live. But bet they would love pawpaws.
@@grovermartin6874 no, my neighbor and best friend across the street had 2 trees behind his smokehouse. All I know is they are messy and delicious
PawPaws are awesome! Found my first about 6 years ago. They're delicious!
Chris Blevins, I've been told that there is a wide variety in the flavors from different pawpaw trees. Have you noticed that?
Love watching your informative videos..
Me and my running buddy came across these last summer on one of our long runs, and I absolutely fell in love with the fruit. This year I have new pawpaw patches mapped out along my typical route and I can’t wait for them to ripen. It’s almost time!
This channel is incredible.
Testimony of fruit bearing trees planted by stream of water... very nice!
Thank you once again, Adam, for your amazing wisdom and teachings. I always learn something from your videos! Best of everything to you!
Hi how are you doing?
My Grand Dad taught me about PPs in the 60's.. Found a patch by a creek in an oil field I worked.. Only time I found them off property.. Let em turn purple, then the seeds can be used!! Thats how I started my little patch.. Got 16 trees now!! So good too!! Taste like a mix of banana and orange!! Makes really good jam!!
Great video Adam!
I mainly watch your content because we live in the same area
I'd love to see more mushroom videos!
I love your videos. I have learn a lot from them.
Nice work Adam ! I just bought two this year($139!!each) now I know exactly where to plant em!! And where to find seeds.
I love your videos-- so clear, concise, and loaded with useful information. I want to learn to recognize and find edibles in the wild, and you are the best teacher i've seen. Thanks very much 👏👍🌿 (anybody familiar with the old nursery song, "The Paw Paw Patch?" 🎶We used to sing this, but i've never seen or eaten them. Looking forward to trying them; they sound delicious! Thanks)
I haven't heard that one, but we used to sing about going around the mulberry bush. I adore mulberries! And I've never had a paw paw either. But I intend to try! Good luck finding yours!
I sure do appreciate you taking the time to share with us your knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for the natural world.
Thank you so very much young man
You are awesome❣
You always bring us good info bra.
Thanks for all the legwork man 👍
Stay shaded 🌳
Living here in SE Pennsylvania there are quit a bit of PawPaw's around here. We even have a lodge named PawPaw Lodge. Thanks again for this video, I learned alot from all your videos.
Definitely going to find Pawpaws in Nebraska this fall!
I found some already! The green pepperish smell helped alot.
I live in the extreme north of Indiana. 30 some years ago I planted a sackful of seeds I had saved in a 30 acre woodland area. Last year we had a late freeze and there were no pawpaws. But I can usually find several along the trails in September
I'm 60 now and when I was a young teenager we moved right next to my dad's Uncle Nathaniel. We called him Uncle Thaneil for some reason. He was a character. He was short,dipped snuff,drank on occasion and would keep you laughing.He was a big influence on me about plants.I already loved plants from a young age but when we would go squirrel hunting he would name all these trees and medicinal plants.We had woods in every direction and a little creek that ran for miles. Paw Paws where all over the place closer to the water.I always loved going hunting for them in late summer early fall.Good memories are always made with people who love plants.
Pawpaw fruit saved the Lewis & Clark expedition! They were coming down the Missouri river, starving, and found Pawpaw's ripe for the picking! This fruit saved their lives.
Thanks for this. Live in Arizona and have a small Grove. They do well under solar watering and what little rain the drought brings. Good info,always.
Thank you Adam! I have been watching your videos for 2 years now and you have taught me so much! I keep finding Magnolia acuminata and thinking it was Paw Paw, but your video has helped me with this, so thank you!!!
Love you, brother! You are a 🎁! APPRECIATE Y♡U! 🌱💞
THIS is the year I'm gonna find them! Driving up to GA... SC... and NC. This was such an informative video. Thank you.
Thank you, Adam! We live in southwest Pa. Grew up here, and swear I've seen these during my lifetime. We grew up on a 28 acre farm. Gotta watch with hubby when he gets home from work.
Adam, Your Mother must be so proud of you. I am. Outstanding presentation!
I don't see the ripe fruit until about mid September, but they are fantastic. Love harvesting and cooking with them.
I love pawpaws and your videos! Adam your awesome!!! I live in southeast Virginia close to the James River and have found a couple pockets of pawpaws along the river and off tributaries.
If you do save the seeds, it's important to not let them dry out. Then, they have to be "stratified" (you can do it by keeping them in a bag in the refrigerator) before they will sprout the next spring.
Thanks so much for all of your hard work. Always appreciated!
A very good tree to plant on your own property. I'm partial to the grafted cultivars that produce larger fruit with less seeds.
mine is growing but has not bloomed this year either....
@@kleineroteHex How old is it?
@@camohunter I don't recall if I got a 2 year old plant, but going by the size it may have been a one year treeline it's been planted 2 years now, so it would be 3. Got it from the conservation society or so. Got my peach tree there as well, but 2 years earlier, that baby just took off!
My persimmon got planted with the pawpaw and that bloomed this year.
@@kleineroteHex they do take about 5 years to start producing fruit. A grafted tree may yield fruit a bit sooner. But they start producing better crops as they mature. You do need at least two varieties of paw paw tree to produce fruit as they are not self pollenating. The Male and Female flowers do not mature at the same time on an individual tree so two varieties are needed. Good luck with it!
@@camohunter thank you!!!
I asked when I bought it if I need more than one and was told 2 or even 3 would be best, with only one I'd get less fruit. Since I do not need a large harvest, my husband probably won't touch them😂 I figured I start with one. I will find out!!!
I can’t wait to look for them. Never had one, but I remember the song “picking up paw paws, put ‘em in your pocket, lol! Thanks for this informative video tutorial.
I really appreciate your videos! Great insight into all different plants and trees. I live in Central Indiana so Paw Paws are very abundant in our dense deciduous forests. I am going hiking soon and will look for premature fruits and remember where they are for September. 😊
Love finding paw paws. The smell when ripe is amazing as well.
Great video, Adam, as always. I've learned so much from this channel and just want to say thank you.
Good stuff. I once made a Paw Paw Pudding Souffle. Let's get cooking.
I just came back to Maine. I was in Missouri and was hoping to see one. I don't think they grow this far north. I love the video anyway!💪💚
I haven’t found any wild ones in New Hampshire but the ones I planted are doing pretty good
I live in Indiana and have a PawPaw patch my Grandma gave me some seeds around 5yrsago and we have a abundance of them now make great muffins thanks for all Ur Videos I Always Enjoy them &Learn Quite a Lot Also🌞 Blessed Thoughts & Wishes🌛🌕🌜
You nailed it! That's exactly how I describe the fruit, a cross between a mango and a banana.
I didn't get into hunting mushrooms and wild edibles till I was 50 years old, even though I was born and live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and was blessed with Grandparents who knew very much about wild edibles and shared many with me in my childhood. My Granny Elsie could spot many from a distance and always kept tools and containers in her trunk to harvest what she found. They introduced me to chinquapins, gooseberries, mullberries, huckleberries, dewberries, dandelion greens, poke greens, teaberry, and so many more wonderful treasures. But I was not mature enough and lacked the life experience then to appreciate it all like I do now.
I decided to find out what pawpaws were when a jingle I heard on a radio commercial while driving reminded me of a song we sang in kindergarten, "pickin' up pawpaws, put em in the basket". As silly as it sounds, I searched online to learn how to identify them, and soon thereafter, again, while driving, I spotted the unique leaves along the road beside the New River. I'd found a group of several small trees and quite a few fruits. That year I experienced my first taste of them later in the season.
I appreciate your channel, your videos, and your sharing of your knowledge and experiences!
Thank you!
Your passion is contagious! Thank you Adam🙏❤
I live in the mid-Atlantic area, just outside the zone shown on your map. I've found lots of pawpaw trees on slopes above flood planes near steams but none that bore fruit. Many patches are likely clones, so I continue to search. "Hope springs eternal." Wish me (better) luck this year.
Non fruiting patches are a fairly common problem in less prolific areas as they are genetically identical and only a very few cultivars can self pollinate. I would suggest that if you do find some fruit producing trees, take the seeds or even some of the smaller whole fruits and plant them within a non-fruiting patch so that once they mature they will intermingle and provide the genetic diversity needed for pollination.
@@pyraxusthelutarian7276 Great though I'd be doing it for future generations.
@@wholeNwon
Thought: bud grafts, or whip grafts of a branch.
The pollen from the transplanted branch will pollinate all the clone trees, and vice versa.
Do it with a couple of branches through the patch, and maybe some selective culling of the clones, and you could see fruit next summer
FANTASTIC Video!
OMG, I live right on the edge of where Paw Paw’s grow. I drove 45 minutes away yesterday to a forest and I had to collect myself because almost every plant was new! I saw this amazing leaf and found out it was from a Tulip Tree. And let me tell you by the time I left I decided this forest will forever be dubbed the “fruit forest”. There were black raspberries and strawberries and mulberries, and gooseberries, and cranberries, and may apples, and red raspberries (the wild ones), I'd have to look to see what else I found. I mean I found things that weren't fruit as well. There was the biggest patch of poke I've ever seen...so I guess there are poke berries too. I grabbed the youngest ones I could find. I bet you anything that back in those woods amount all those tulip trees there are PawPaw’s. I can NOT wait to go back in season this year!
There are pawpaw festivals...I went to Ohio pawpaw festivals years back... pretty cool.
I went about 10 years ago, and now I have a pawpaw orchard.
I planted a few of these on my property a few years ago. I can't wait until they start to bear fruit!
all wildlife will compete.
like goumi berries....as soon as they're ripe, they get eaten by something.
birds have not allowed me to make any gummy-berry jam....but i have netting, now.
I stongly suggest pollenating the flowers with a small paintbrush because they are pollenated by flies instead of bees (notice the vaguely rotten smell emanating from the flowers) and if there aren't a lot of flies visiting the flowers you won't see any fruit unless you hand pollenate. I have heard of people throwing a carcass (roadkill) in the pawpaw patch to draw flies during the flowering season.
Again,thank you for sharing your abundant knowledge of our beautiful woodlands, we are lucky to have you brother. LATER
“ 🐻But you don’t need to use the claw when you pick a pear from the big Paw Paw 🐯” oh brother “ the bare necessities of life will come to you 🎶
Aways a wonderful video. Thank you for so generously sharing your knowledge and in a way that makes us laymen understand!
Been growing pawpaw for a few years in pittsburgh! We didn’t have any naturally on our property, despite having a stream / riparian zone and almost every other tree on your list. I hope more in our region learn about this tree and incorporate it into the landscaping of their homes
The best video out there on this tree. Excellent!
Thank you!
Thank you for the video! ☺♥ ☼
Northwest Alabama Here! I will be keeping my eyes open for this! Thanks again!
I'm so glad you put this video out on the PawPaw trees. I remember the little jingle of way down Yonder in the PawPaw patch of course there's more to it but that's all I was going to put down. Anyway you talked about tree identification I was lucky I had to do tree identification when I was a land surveyor and it sure has helped me throughout the years. I never knew where to find them until now and again I'm so glad you put this video out. Again thanks for the video have a great day and stay safe and keep your powder dry and keep on the look for the paw paws! PS I speak my comment but my phone will not print out Papa's, that's what it prints out, so I have to go back and print it until the very end when I was signing off it put Papa's out perfectly but not now. Just a little note about my quirky phone. I had to edit this as I forgot to tell you where I live I believe I've told you before but I live in the southern part of West Virginia near Lewisburg. There's a pretty long trail just north of Lewisburg that follows a river so I think I'm going to follow that River Trail, actually I think that's what it's called The River Trail but there's another name, and see if I can spot some of those trees.
This is awesome, thank you. I'm learning about pawpaw trees now and this is showing me i might just have some in my forest on my property... Stoked to go look!!
We have plenty of pawpaw trees here in Northern Kentucky, but I have never found ripe fruit in September. We usually have to wait until mid-to-late October. If they are not fully ripe, they will ripen in a paper bag. Nine out of ten trees will have no fruit at all, so it takes patience to locate the fruit.
I grew up in southern Ohio, just like you said, 1 out of 10 to find fruit. I knew maybe 10 or 15 groups of them, only 1 had fruit consistently. Maybe the Indians had worked a strain? Or maybe it was the place they were at?
@@ricksanchez3176 I read that pawpaws are self-incompatible, meaning they need to be cross-pollinated from an unrelated tree.
@@markvolstad9380 I could see that. I learned the hard way about that with my pears, now have 6 trees, 3 kinds, when I only wanted two.
@@markvolstad9380 It is my understanding that flies pollinate pawpaw trees. Look it up. They say to throw meat and fish around the trees to get the flies.
So good to know! When I was hiking so much 20 years ago, my only sources of knowledge for the local area were books and my mother in law ,who was from Virginia. She (apparently mistakenly) said they only grew down south. Now I know I walked right by them, for I have seen those leaves and particularly those weird flowers. If only I remembered precisely where?? lol My mother in law taught me alot, about growing food and foraging and I am forever thankful;.
I saw a pawpaw tree once that looked like a small oak, next to a large creek. I was amazed at all the fruits, big fruits in bunches. That’s the reason I noticed it. Impressive for sure. The little groves aren’t that common for me, but I’ve seen 1 or 2. I do have some pawpaw bushes in the woods, but the squirrel and deer get them before I can. They’re small, about the size of a large peanut.
Lower Shenandoah valley in western Virgil tuckey is a great paw paw spot
I live a few miles north of you in East Brady and keep looking for the paw paw growing around here. Now that I know more on the tree ID, maybe I'll finally find one. I think I read somewhere about a story of paw paw propagation during settlement times similar to the Johnny Apple seed story where people planted the seeds etc so they'd have fruit bearing trees for food.
Largest native north american fruit. Not sayin they weren't spread by folks, but pawpaw was here without help.
@@yep-sb4uf It is believed that Native Americans actively helped spread them.
@@pyraxusthelutarian7276 I'll give you that, but they didn't introduce them.
I finally tried them this year. Found people growing them in Ithaca, NY.
They are delicious, I love them. They taste more like pineapple and banana to me though. The smell reminds me more of super ripe pineapple. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wonderful videos. 🤩🤩
Excellent video Adam! I live in CT, so I don't think that we have that species of tree here. I always enjoy learning about nature from watching your videos👍👍😉😉.
Great informative video. I've lived in the Western Va Appalachians my entire life. I tasted my first pawpaw 2 weeks ago. Of course I plan on planting the seeds we kept to build the population as they seem fairly rare. Enjoyed the flavor too. Very unique.
Do they grow in Oklahoma? I only ever heard of them in a childrens song.
My grandmother always had paw paw trees here in Tn. She made jelly , wine , ect. Wonderful memories ❤. They do taste like ripe banana , mixed w a tropical fruit.
ahhh awesome n thanks! been asking and looking for pawpaws like 20 years and still havent found or tasted it yet. now hopefully some one quoted baloo from the jungle book.🤣🍻
My husband and I just love your videos, so clear, so friendly and you really want to ensure that we are successful. That is just so nice of you. Plus, you remind me so much of Bob Denver, and I just adored him...watch the movie Oh God! one day. Thanks for this great lesson.
Thank you! I appreciate that! Glad you're enjoying the videos!
People from the carribean call papaya paw paws, but i always tell them they not the same
I live in the Piedmont SC.I really like it when you give the geographic range of the species.Thank you for geo range maps
The nearest i ever came to death was because of a Paw-Paw tree! I was about 5 yr old and there was this Paw-Paw tree out back of the house, I clime the tree and was reaching for the biggest paw-paw i had ever seen then the limb broke i heard something go KA-THUD i looked around and it was me! I landed on my back on this big ol flat rock, I found out that day just how brittle and easy to break paw-paw tree's and limbs are, Funny thing i just dreamed about paw-paw's a few days ago!! I'm 78 now and still love dem dang Paw-Paw's
Here in Tennessee the paw paw tree's grow up and down creeks. They are a really delicious and very healthy food. One creek that I find them on has hundreds of paw paws in a short distance. Very abundant. Get out in the woods if you can. You're body will thank you for it. Thanks Adam.
The way we always did was finding the seeds in the raccoon turds. 😂 When we were squirrel hunting.
Raccoon turd is deadly! Stay as far away as possible! This is no joke!
@@brucefluckiger5389 We used to make paw paw seed coffee. It's kinda the same process as Civet poop coffee, but the raccoons did the work. You're saying this was dangerous?
**Just a note, this was just sarcasm, don't really eat or drink anything that has passed through a raccoon.
@@ricksanchez3176 Holy smokes! Glad you wrote the ** side note!
@@brucefluckiger5389 Sincerely, what is it you are referring to on the raccoons? I have skinned many way back when, been in barns clear full of their evidence.
Coincidentally, a buddy and I were just talking yesterday about how "don't touch turtles, "salmonella salmonella" and how we needed to go set some lines for some good old turtle soup.
@@ricksanchez3176 It's just the Poop. Raccoon poop contains deadly worm eggs, about a million per once of poop.
Also, a very interesting thing. A guy I ran across plants paw paw trees. He picks up road kill at pollination time to bring in flies to pollinate them.
Thank you I enjoyed, and learned somethings I din't know!!
You should've mentioned that pawpaw seeds need cold exposure (to simulate overwintering) in order to be fertile for planting later. I have had success with the refrigerator, but I have been told they need to stay moist so I kept them in plastic. I don't know how accurate that part is but they did germinate, so no harm was done. I love pawpaws and wish they got more love and propagation.
In order to do this, put the pawpaw seed in moist, not wet & not hot, just moist coffee grounds and put them in the fridge all winter. Pawpaw seeds usually do not have high germination rates so do this with a lot of seeds. The coffee grounds are acidic enough that they won't mold with a a little moisture and the seeds need a little bit. I'm growing some trees in my yard and I always save the seeds this way for any friends who want them. A lot of my friends now have seedlings with this method.
We have 3 paw paw trees growing on our farmland in Nigeria.
Mama Saree, are the ones you grow like the ones Adam shows us in this video?
They were sold in nursery catalogs in the 70s and 80s .