Raising Pawpaw

The Short, Sweet Life of an Elusive Fruit

By Jamel Daugherty

The pawpaw fruit is a little shy.

It bruises easily, cowers from the sunlight under its tree leaves and rarely makes it out to the public marketplace. Still, its creamy, sweet flesh is worth the pursuit.

And Mackintosh Fruit Farm–with pick-your-own service–is where you’ll find it.

The pawpaw is a tropical fruit, but hardly foreign. The exterior has a yellow-green skin while the soft insides have a complex flavor–like a maple syrup-infused banana knocked back with a persimmon chaser. It’s endemic to the eastern half of North America and was a favorite treat of our Founding Fathers and pioneers. Which is no real wonder, considering papaws pack more vitamins A and C than bananas or apples and are high in potassium, calcium and anti-carcinogenic properties.

But caveat emptor: Pawpaws are highly perishable.

Which is why they can’t be found on the shelves of your neighborhood grocery store. Mackintosh Farm toque Tona Bays claims fellow chefs drive from hours away to score fresh fruit or ferry away industrial-size tubs of her homemade, pawpaw ice cream (consumer-sized portions run $5).

Fresh pawpaws also work well in bread, cookies and muffins.

Or just pop the raw fruit into your mouth. That’s the way Mackintosh owner Bill Mackintosh likes it.

Mackintosh Fruit Farm: 1608 Russell Road, Berryville; 540-955-2161. Open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

(September 2010)