MANSFIELD, Ohio — Eric Larson has spent the majority of his life learning about plants and landscape designs. But he wasn’t introduced to the Pawpaw, a fruit native to Ohio, until he was in his late 30s.
Many in the Buckeye state are not familiar with this tropical look-alike tree with fruit that tastes like a mixture of banana and melon. However, some Mansfield revelers were exposed to the fruit at last month’s Kegtember.
“A lot of people I talk to have never heard of it,” said Larson, who leads nature classes at NECIC and designs landscapes for businesses in Ohio. “It’s more popular in southern Ohio because that’s where it grows most.”
Athens hosts an annual Pawpaw Festival. Vendors and enthusiasts venture from all over to share and sell their Pawpaw-infused products like beer, cocktails, preserves, breads, and desserts. Jackie O’s Brewery in Athens brews a beer using the fruit — the Jackie O’s PawPaw Wheat.
“The pawpaw fruit is something we take great pride in. The native fruit of Ohio and one that flourishes here in Athens. A tropical fruit tree that grows in in a temperate climate and produces a one of a kind experience. Flavors of mango, banana, and a touch of melon,” reads a description of the beer on the company’s website.
The Pawpaw Smash is seasonally available at Martini’s on Main through October, and Jackie O’s Pawpaw Wheat was served at the Kegtember event on Sept. 27.
Despite its popularity in southern Ohio, the fruit has only recently made its way up north.
Nick Copley, a local herbalist and wild foods forager provides the fruit to local food vendors Altered Eats and Martini’s on Main. Copley refers to the fruit as an unknown gem.
“It’s important to show consumers that there’s a lot more fruits and wild foods that are native to our growing region that are unique and edible things to integrate in their diets,” Copley said. “It’s kind of the slightly unknown gem of the Appalachia region, if you will.”
Altered Eats crafts a chicken and rice, curry taco with spicy Pawpaw sauce.
“It’s a good way to highlight some of our native foods,” said Anne Massie, co-owner of Altered Eats.
Martini’s on Main concocted a house cocktail and named it the Pawpaw Smash. The drink gets a splash of oak-barrel-aged rum, Pawpaw puree and Serrano pepper-infused honey — and fashioned with a serrano pepper.
“When you put all of the ingredients down on paper it’s madness, but somehow it works,” said Martini’s on Main General Manager Cory Dawson of the cocktail. “I’m shocked that more people don’t know it (Pawpaw). It’s very under the radar.”
Besides the fruit’s unique flavor, Larson believes the tree is beneficial in many ways.
“Since I design landscapes, people usually want ornamental trees. I think the Pawpaw is a great ornamental tree, and its fruit isn’t poisonous,” he said.
Larson explained that because of the trees medium size and large leaves, the tree makes for a perfect shade tree and it is aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, the tree (asimina triloba) survives cold weather and produces tulip-like flowers in the spring.
The only problem, however, is finding ideal soil, said Larson. And the fruit has a tendency to rot quickly and bruise easily, making transportation difficult.
“It needs rich, dark soil and cannot be planted in clay,” Larson said.
Larson received associate degrees in Science Landscape Management and Construction and Greenhouse Management from the Ohio State University. As a founding member of Ashland chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, he would like to see the tree “make a come back” in this part of the state.
Alta Florist Greenhouse and Garden Center on Home Road in Mansfield will have Pawpaw tree saplings for sale in the spring.
“I strongly encourage people to take a look at this tree,” Larson said.