I’m enjoying my first small harvest of named variety pawpaws this year and have done a couple little tastings with my daughters. Pawpaws are hard to come by here in Napa, so it’s been a treat.
Seedling/Allegheny/Potomac
Picked some of my pawpaws this weekend. From left to right, a seedling I grew from seed maybe 15 or so years now, Allegheny, and Potomac. Honestly, I think these were all pretty similar in flavor. Preferences could entirely be understood by how ripe they were. Potomac by far had the best flesh to seed ratio. I probably liked the seedling flavor the best, but it’s the most mature having fruited in years past, whereas the named varieties are fruiting for the first time this year. Also, the seedling fruit was the most fragrant through the skin, probably it was a bit more ripe. I picked each of these fruits from my trees, rather than allowing them to drop at peak ripeness. I had a very large and beautiful Potomac that ripened while I was not around my orchard (I only visit once or twice a week), it appears to have dropped and was gotten by critters. So to secure the harvest, I am testing fruits for easy abscission and picking when they’re ready to detach. Allegheny was probably second favorite. And though Potomac is grudgingly third, it’s no slouch, I would be happy eating only a plate full of Potomacs (or sharing with my daughter as was the case).
?/VE-21/Overleese/Potomac
The “?” variety is probably Allegheny. It was my favorite in this tasting, probably due to being the most ripe. VE-21 was good, at this writing, nothing notable springs to mind. The Overleese had some bitterness to the flavor. Some people don’t appreciate this in pawpaws, but I like it and think that I will allow future Overleese to ripen more to develop these complex flavors. I have enjoyed smoky, bitter, “coffee” flavors in very ripe seedling harvests in past years. The Potomac was quite similar to the previous tasting. It has a unique thick cream texture and seems like maybe it has a longer shelf life than the other varieties.
This is my last Potomac for the year and I let it ripen a good amount on the counter. I like it quite a bit more at this ripeness than the previous Potomac tastings. It was my favorite of this group and I definitely am looking forward to more of these next year and will let them sit to ripen. Jerry’s Delight had dropped from the tree and had a real thick pulp, kind of chewy. Not sure if that’s characteristic of the variety. Maria’s Joy & Halvin’s Sidewinder were quite good, but I rather wish I had let them ripen on the counter longer like the Potomac. Not everyone likes there pawpaws well ripened, but it seems like that is my preference.
