When you hear a grandfather’s name, who comes to mind? David is called “Poppy” by Swayze, Arleigh and John David. Libby, Millie, Harper and Henry call Roger “Granddaddy.” Izzy will call Jim “Papaw,” just as Taylor referred to Mr. Heyward. Emmaline calls Richard “Pop,” as the Junkin, Browning and Loftis crews called our maternal grandfather. Mr. Troy was “PapPaw,” a name established before Penny and Josh came into the picture. My daddy’s father was called “Paw Paw Junkin.”

Paw Paw Junkin has been on my mind recently as the Lowndes County Master Gardeners have worked on their pawpaw project. He, Maw Maw Junkin and Aunt Zelma lived just down the hill, across the creek and up the hill past our home. They lived in a simple four-square house with no running water or indoor plumbing. Meals were cooked on a wood stove, and I can still smell the tea cakes baking. In winter, he rocked by the open fireplace that heated the house. Summer afternoons would find him swinging on the front porch with his homemade flyswatter, made from a small piece of leather tacked to the end of a slim sweet gum branch. Saturday night visits meant you didn’t talk much – they were listening to the Grand Ole Opry!

Several months ago, Nancy Reeves, past president of the Lowndes County Master Gardeners, mentioned her desire to reintroduce pawpaw plants into the Lowndes County environment. My knowledge of pawpaws was extremely limited, so the research began.
Many recent Master Gardener events have focused on native plants. Pawpaw trees produce the largest edible fruit native to North America. The fruit has greenish, sometimes black-speckled skin and measures about 3 to 6 inches long. The flesh ranges from pale to bright yellow and is filled with large, glossy brown seeds.

The flavor is described as “electric and tropical.” While walking in the woods, scouting for deer rubs, you might spot a pawpaw tree. If it has ripe fruit – enjoy it right there. Peel the skin, “slurp” the pulp and spit out the seeds. It’s said to be a gooey experience, with juice running down your elbows. The taste is often compared to a cross between banana and mango.

Pawpaws are native across a broad region from the Great Lakes to the Florida Panhandle. Early explorers such as Lewis and Clark recorded eating pawpaws in their journals, and Hernando de Soto noted that Native Americans cultivated them in the Mississippi Valley. Just as Johnny Appleseed planted apple seeds, early settlers often planted pawpaws near their homesteads, as far west as Kansas.

Pawpaws are pollinated by flies drawn to their maroon-colored blooms. Wildlife such as squirrels, raccoons, opossums, foxes and bears enjoy the fruit. The tree itself is small and deciduous, often growing in the understory of hardwood forests. Its leaves cluster symmetrically at the ends of branches.

John James Audubon included the foliage and fruit of the pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) in his painting “Yellow-tailed Cuckoo.” The artwork shows a male and female bird perched on a fruiting pawpaw branch, with the male catching a tiger swallowtail butterfly.

The Lowndes County Master Gardeners are excited to introduce more pawpaws into local environments. The tree’s leaves are the only host plant and food source for zebra swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. The zebra swallowtail is a striking butterfly with black-and-white stripes, long tails and flashes of red. Interestingly, the acetogenin compounds in pawpaw leaves and twigs repel most insects.

You likely won’t find fresh pawpaws in grocery stores; they bruise easily and have a very short shelf life. The fruit should be picked when nearly ripe – when the stems break off easily, much like peaches.

Nancy became interested in pawpaws after a former Master Gardener, Mona Sanders, shared her experiences at a local meeting. Nancy grew plants from seeds of a pawpaw fruit originally planted in the Butterfly Garden. Recently, the Lowndes County Master Gardeners planted several trees at Lake Lowndes State Park. They hope to introduce more pawpaw trees to other public spaces in the county in the future.

If you caught yourself humming “Way Down Yonder in the Paw Paw Patch” while reading this, good! I hope this story connected you with your heritage, your community and the natural world – and maybe stirred a memory or two of foraging for fall’s hidden treasures.

Former elementary teacher and avid gardener Olivia Sansing lives in the New Hope community and shares timely tips on behalf of the Lowndes County Master Gardeners.

Former elementary teacher and avid gardener Olivia Sansing lives in the New Hope community and shares timely tips on behalf of the Lowndes County Master Gardeners.

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