I am wrapping up the first humble harvest of Paw Paw here at the Crows. I couldn’t be more excited. Just a few, perhaps 20 fruits in total. Enough from 3 producing trees to share the fresh eating experience with friends and family. And a lesson…

I got my first taste of a much-celebrated native to the Eastern United States. Imported to the Crows biome about eight years ago.

Asimina triloba, the American papaw, pawpaw, paw paw, or paw-paw, among many regional names, is a small deciduous tree native to the eastern United States and southern Ontario, Canada, producing a large, yellowish-green to brown fruit. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba

At harvest time, I was surprised at the heft of some of these fruits. Some of them, I am pretty sure, were over 2 pounds, and my mind went hastily to ways to store this goodness.

I found recipes for bread and other foods all over the web. Nearly every page extols the glory of the fruit with one cavoite, often mentioning that “some” people react to the stuff after heating. There is no mention that dehydration is not an option, Or at least, I didn’t run across it. I know this… only because… I did it!

My goal wasn’t a fruit leather or chip, some kind of traditional fruit dehydration, but a healthy cracker snack. So I made a sticky dough of oat flour, flaxseed meal, and seeds, then popped the concoction into the dehydrator at the highest setting to give it a crisp. It was kind of half-baked. Something I thought would save me after a warning from my friend PJ Chimial piped up on social media about the hazards of dehydration. (Thanks for the heads up, PJ!) Check out his garden! It is glorious!

They turned out delicious, but, as warned, they came with consequences.

I am cautious with new and experimental foods by default, so just a few bites and let’s see what the body thinks. My body thinks… very laxative! 😆

In just a few minutes, I noticed considerable gastrointestinal distress! I spent the morning running to the bathroom while the body sorted things out. Interrupting the daily toils of my work at the Crows.

The thing is, you can’t just not try again later! You gotta do experimental “runs” for science! 😆 I’m sorry to say, the results were repeatable! So, dehydration is right out in the future!

In my research, I found that most folks stow fruit pulp in the freezer for future eating. I think that is pretty good advice. And in my future, that is where the excess will go if I am blessed with it. And in the belly of the people I love.

Angelica archangelica
Angelica archangelica, commonly known as angelica,[3] garden angelica, wild celery, and Norwegian angelica, is a biennial plant from the family Apiaceae, a subspecies of which is cultivated for its sweetly scented edible stems and roots. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An observation, I think?
Angelica, one of my favorite springtime beasties, seems a good insectary companion for pawpaw, with similar pollinators and bloom times. Noticeably, the trees produced heavier fruit on the sides nearest our lovely angelica stands, so we moved some seed heads around the garden for this goal.

We saved the lion’s share of the seeds from our fruits; I scattered a few to see what happens. I hope to germinate the rest in pots to establish them in another area and share them with friends. I’m looking forward to next season!
Cheers
Darren