pawpaw

Pawpaws are one of a handful of unique fruits and vegetables native to the United States, and yet they are not nearly as widely enjoyed as the holiday must have cranberries!  One of the reasons they aren't as well known is the primary way to get pawpaws is foraging for them. Jeff Hake sits down with us to talk about pawpaws and other fruits being grown at Funk's Grove Heritage Fruits and Grains and some of the products they are making too.

Katie and Jonathan Funk grew up on the family farm & playing in Funk's Grove. Now, they are working with Katie's husband Jeff to try different practices and crops. They are creating unique food products using heritage grains and crops they grow as well as foods foraged from the grove.

They have planted a combination of grains and offer some baking and bread mixes. And with the fruit trees they have planted they offer fruit leathers and other yummies. All of it is available just off the historic Route 66 in Illinois or online. 

See photos, video & more at https://groundedbythefarm.com/foraging-pawpaws/ 

Video of our farm visit https://youtu.be/-pf5xtPADHw 

Jeff shows how to make fruit leather https://youtu.be/5mCqo0gYtzc 

In this episode of From the Woods Today, we learn all about pawpaws including how to take care of the trees, management of wild patches, cultivar recommendations, propagation, harvest and storage techniques, and uses for its fruit. We also have our Tree of the Week segment and information about some upcoming programs. 2.23.22.

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From the Woods Today

This is one you won't want to miss.  Waddy sits down with his Daddy Edwin (Paw Paw) to talk about the way he was raised, and how the outdoors has been a source of comfort during difficult times.  Paw Paw also talks about his up bring with several stories like the time his bicycle was repoed.  Check out the latest Be Real with Michael on the Realtree Outdoors youtube page.

This episode is a collaboration with our friends at the Partisan Gardens Podcast. It's a little different style, with more voices and more production, we think you will like it! Our conversation is all about the Paw Paw (Asimina triloba), the largest native fruit on this continent! These amazing members of the Annonaceae family taste like a cross between a Mango and a Banana, but with a flavor all their own. As usual we talk about the botany, history, culture and cuisine of the plant. If you enjoy this episode be sure to check out more episodes of Partisan Gardens.

Neal Peterson is a plant geneticist who has been breeding pawpaw trees for over 45 years, and has come up with seven varieties of his own. At his home in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, Peterson says the pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to North America, but it has never been cultivated so you won't find it in grocery stores.

This episode is sponsored by Dream Guitars. 

Pawpaw has big potential as a specialty crop with conservation value.  In this episode, learn about the plant’s biology, propagation, and promising cultivars from Patrick Byers, University of Missouri Extension; and about technical and financial support for agroforestry plantings like pawpaw from Lauren Cartwright, Missouri’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

We're joined this week by special guest conchist, Dereck Alred, as we paradoxically undress The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown. We also enjoy a controversial round of Is It KISS or AC/DC? So grab yourself a sweet, creamy pawpaw, have a seat next to the fire, and listen to the tale of some folks what got ate.

Next book: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Andrew Moore is here to talk about his James Beard nominated book "Paw-Paw, America's forgotten fruit.