Pawpaw Varieties

[Vincent_8B]

Why have to wait til late April. The seeds need cold stratified for germination? Or just seedling outside through Winter time @Tony

[tonyOmahaz5]

The seeds need to be cold stratification before planting.

[Vincent_8B]

$208 for 10 pounds Peterson Pawpaw: Susquehanna , Allegheny , Shenandoah.
They’re all wonderful.

!

[murky]

That strikes me as a lot of money for 10lbs of fruit. But then when I really think about it, its probably worth it to me. I’ve never tasted any of those and I’d love to. I have a couple, but don’t know when I’ll get fruit. They are very slow growing for me.

Where are they from?

[Vincent_8B]

You can order together and share with families or friends Murky. They’re all Peterson Pawpaw.
Check it here.
Earthy.com

[ramv]

I split the fruit and cost with Vincent.
I’ve never eaten a pawpaw before so it was worth it to help decide if I should be seriously growing it.

I also purchased a Cherimoya from the local Asian store.

My wife and I ate one Shenandoah fruit along with a Cherimoya to compare the two.

Here are my observations as someone eating his very first pawpaw.

Pawpaw and Cherimoya are very similar fruits! The Shenandoah has a very soft texture: similar to an avocado that’s extremely ripe and possibly a bit mushed up. Very fruity and pleasant aroma-- very reminiscent of pineapple. Very sweet (too sweet?) tasting with excellent fruity notes.
Cherimoya was equally fruity but had some bitterness near the skin. The Pawpaw had near zero bitterness. There were also fewer seeds in the pawpaw. Hardly any. I did save the seeds to try growing them as they are obviously from an orchard that grows superior varieties.

Overall, I think the pawpaw is a superior fruit, atleast when compared to the local Cherimoyas I can find in the store. I do recall eating custard apples and they seemed to have a special flavor even though they were extremely seedy.

Another observation: I dont know if I can eat many pawpaws in one sitting. Maybe 1 at most. Its not the sweetness. I know I can eat a half dozen persimmons at once. I can’t really pinpoint why that is.

I look forward to tasting the other varieties in the coming days. Maybe I will like them even more.

[TJ_westPA]

Please keep us updated on your opinions once you try the others. I love hearing others comparisons on the different varieties. All 3 of those varieties tasted pretty different to me so I’m anxious to see what you think of them. They have such complex flavor profiles that it’s easy for 2 people eating the same fruit to describe their taste in very different manners.
I agree with pawpaws being generally better than cherimoyas, though they both seem to vary in flavor a good bit.
I didn’t go to any festivals this year, so I’m stuck with foraging wild pawpaws. Some are pretty dang good but most are fairly bitter and have a bad, overripe banana taste and are too seedy and have clumpy textures. It really puts in perspective how much better the named varieties are though lol.

[PharmerDrewee]

I feel the same way about not being able to eat more than 1 at a time @ramv Perhaps they are too flavorful. I found them to be an amazing fruit though, just can’t eat too many. You guys did right by ordering the best varieties. I found some wild ones nearby and they were not great compared to Peterson varieties that fruited this year.

[Chills]

I’m picking pawpaws right now here in SE Michigan. i’ve been offing people at work fruit for the past week+ and will likely have more for the next week.

My fruit are small this year, though. I may have left too many fruit on my heaviest producer this summer.

Scott

[Joe]

Anyone in the northeast who wants to try pawpaws might want to find time to visit Rocky Point Farm in Rhode Island. It’s best to get there before they open if you want to go home with any fruit. They sell Peterson pawpaws, some other named cultivars, and some seedling from quality stock They sell out very quickly. Cash only this year. Here’s an email I recently received from them:

[TJ_westPA]

i’ve been offing people at work

will likely have more for the next week

The pawpaw murderer shall strike again…

[murky]

Bear in mind that you were eating from amongst the very best Pawpaws that look to have been meticulously handled, vs. a probably imported Cherimoya of probably uncertain provenence.

Pawpaws can be very seedy and bitter near the skin as well.

I’ve tried Cherimoya, but didn’t know what it was supposed to be like and ate it too firm. I don’t know if that one could have been properly ripened, but it wasn’t.

[murky]

Thank you. My local friends aren’t as crazy as me and my family won’t appreciate them, certainly not at the $20+/lb level. They’d rather have prime steaks or something.

I’ll probably order 3lbs for myself and try not to think about the unit cost.

[Seattlefiggirl]

[Seattlefiggirl]

[Vincent_8B]

All pawpaw seeds you get , they’ll be valued the same amount of money you paid for your ordering Murky. ( Average Peterson Pawpaw $2 per seed )

[ramv]

I tasted another couple of pawpaws - A Shenandoah and a Susquehanna and shared it with another member @Bradybb.
I’ll let Brady opine on what he thought of these.

I thought these were even better than the first one which was maybe overripe. I slightly preferred Susquehanna to Shenandoah as it had a more fruity flavor.

I am yet to taste the Allegheny. Maybe tomorrow.

I wonder what people think of varieties such as Kentucky Champion, Halvin, Summer Delight etc in comparison to the Peterson varieties. Are they of comparable quality?

[murky]

That’s a good way to look at it. But now you’re saying I have to find someplace to plant the seeds

[Bradybb]

My impressions when tasting these two,being the first time,only having tried fruit from trees in Fremont,CA,was that Shenandoah had a mild butterscotch/caramel flavor.Susquehanna was more fruity,like Ram observed,something slightly like Juicy Fruit gum,mixed with other things.
Saying these were better than the first Pawpaws,may be inaccurate.Different is more realistic,them being more like Susquehanna with some melon or squash in there.bb

[ramv]

I meant the first Shenandoah I described yesterday, not the one we ate today.