Article – Spring Newsletter 2013
Ever since our blueberry article in 2008, we’ve been striving to introduce you to fruits that will improve your health as well as being a good fit for the edible landscape. A small tree that fits these requirements is one that is native to the Eastern United States, including Ohio, and known as Asimnia triloba, or better known as the Paw paw. Paw paws have delicious fruit with a flavor resembling a combination of banana, mango and pineapple with the tastes varying amoung the different cultivars. According to research performed at the University of Kentucky, the Paw paw’s nutritional value exceeds that of grapes, apples and peaches in minerals, amino acids and calories. Another unusual nutritional fact is that the fruit is an excellent source of iron and the B vitamin Niacin. This year all of the paw paw varieties except two have been selected by Neal Peterson which has studied this genus for more than 20 years. Neal has selected natural strains and bred varieties that have good fruit quality and other desirable traits such as -Good consistent fruit yield -Sweet mild flavor -Few seeds in fruits -Vigorous growth of the tree -A tree that responds well to pruning Overleese, Shenandoah, Mango, Potomac and Susquehennna are available this year with two different varieties required for pollination of the flowers. In spring, don’t worry if the leaves on the tree haven’t emerged just yet as the Paw paw is one of the last trees to leaf out in the spring.
Find a sunny place in your yard with well-drained soil, dig a large hole and mix in a liberal amount of organic matter and finally mulch with a couple inches of organic matter, such as Sweet Peet, and in a few years you’ll have a bountiful harvest of North America’s largest native, nutritious fruit