Had more Wabash, NC-1, Susquehanna, Shenandoah, Wilson, Potomac, Allegheny today.
Honestly, after a while the distinctness of each paw paw starts to disappear, especially when you go from stronger tasting back to lighter tasting ones. I kept going back to spoon out a previously tasted pawpaw after scooping out something different to compare it against. Some of the differences are really nuanced.
After thinking more about, here is my breakdown.
@Barkslip NC-1 - Rich isn’t the word that comes to mind. Balanced with depth. Not really fruity/melony. Strong[er] but not sharp. Some aftertaste. mid to late. Nice smooth texture.
Wilson - Rich, somewhat sharp. A little fruityness. Lingering phenolic aftertaste. late
Susquehanna - strong flavors, rich. Noticeable phenolic aftertaste, some grit. late
Potomac - balanced. somewhat rich with depth, creamy. not fruity. some grit to it. Aftertaste. late
Wabash - fruity (melony), sharp flavor. Somewhat rich tasting. Clean taste. smooth texture late
Shenandoah - Clean, very light tasting. Slightly fruity. Clean finish. early to late
Allegheny - Small fruit. Strongly fruity flavor (but not overpowering) with a clean finish. No sharp flavors. Clean finish. early to mid.
Mango - Fruity like Allegheny, but not as pronounced. Less phenolic flavors, clean finish. Mellow. Large fruit. Early.
PA Golden - No idea which PA this is. It is slightly sharp but it’s quite strong. It doesn’t have a strong aftertaste or anything, but the pawpaw flavor is definitely there from the first spoonful. Mid.
Wells - Fairly balanced. Similar to Potomac but more fruity. Size mostly same if not smaller than Allegheny. Clean finish. Mid.
I can eat multiple NC-1 without a problem, but Susquehanna, PA Golden, Wilsons, and Potomac for me are probably have me set for the day after eating one.
Wabash has kind of the same effect but it’s really not the aftertaste that I dislike, it’s the sharpness/slight astringency that comes with every bite even though that goes away really fast for me. I think part of it is also the fact that Susquehanna, Potomac, Wilsons, and Wabash seem to be starting to achieve peak ripening at the end of September and here in Chicago-land it’s getting quite chilly by early September so flavors may not be as good as they would south of 40 degrees lat… The rest of the Susquehanna, Potomac, Wilsons, and Wabash, probably need another 2 weeks to finish complete harvest.
Honestly a lot of the Jim Davis seedlings here are as good if not better than the Peterson ones and are among the earliest ripening. Neal’s friend plans to name them once he gets a few more years of harvest to eval.