Full disclosure: I picked it too early, so it wasn’t quite ripe yet. Maybe 3/4ths ripe, or 7/8ths ish. It was just so big and pretty on the tree, and it was starting to yellow a little bit, so I just couldn’t help myself. I still have about 6 or 7 hands of fruit left on that tree, maybe 30 or so individual paw paws, so I will update with more pictures as they ripen.
Considering it wasn’t fully ripe, it was pretty good! Obviously not as sweet or melting as it would be in a week or two. But the flesh was a pale yellow, the consistency somewhere between a ripe mango and an underripe avocado. Flavor was mild tutti-frutti ish. That will change though as they become more ripe and intensely sweet/fragrant. The skin was green, verging on yellow where the fruits faced the sun.
As far as ripening goes, I think that if it was even a bit soft in one spot, then it wasn’t too early to pick. They seem to fall within a day or 2 of starting to soften on the tree and then they ripen real quick after they fall to the ground. Plus, if they are picked early, they can keep in the fridge for a good 3 weeks and are less prone to critters getting to them before they drop and start to give off fragrance.
It does look like you could have let it ripen on the counter for a few days to get more yellow and brown in color if you wanted it to be stronger tasting, but some can be pretty good at the soft green stage.
Here are some pictures of a few of the clusters on my SAA Overleese. In past years they stayed greenish even when ripe, but this year they’re showing a definite yellowish color as they ripen.
Thanks! I was surprised because that didn’t happen last year (which was the first year this tree really bore well). Maybe it’s just cause the tree is more mature this year?
This one was much softer and sweeter. Flesh consistency was like a very ripe mango, slightly custardy in the center, and slightly thicker and grittier closer to the skin. Flesh color was more pale orangey yellow then the first one. Taste was bright and sweet, almost just like tutti fruity gum. No bitter aftertaste.
Question: if I plan to mail the seeds to someone, do I need to do anything special to keep them viable during the mailing process? Or can I just dry them off and send them out?
Cliff Orchards mails a lot so you could ask him how he prepares for mailing.
Kum Hui and Clifford England England’s Orchard and Nursery 2338 HIGHWAY 2004
Mc Kee, KY. 40447-8342 Specializing in alternative crops. www.nuttrees.net
A slightly damp napkin or something … keeps (lack of) moisture from greatly reducing viability. (Then, the recipient can plant in the fall outdoors and let nature take it from there…or refrigerate for 90 days…and plant in spring or summer.)
FYI: mine is SAA Overleese, purchased from stark bros in 2016… I’m not quite sure if or how it is different from Overleese? I think I remember reading once that SAA Overleese is genetically different Overleese but the fruit is essentially the same, but i might be mistaken about that.
It should be different if it’s got a different name. At least it’d better be!
Mailing seeds - you MUST keep the seeds constantly moist until ready to plant. (okay, maybe a seed or two could survive).
Get some peat moss and wet it moderately or saturate a paper towel and throw in a ziploc.
Paper towels may have to be replaced a couple times if they start to mold.
That’s interesting. I feel dumb for not realizing that lol. I had seen SAA Overleese listed before but I guess I just assumed that that was the full name or some sort of added designation when it was bred.
Looking it up, it appears to be a seedling of Overleese that was selected by John Gordon of Amherst, NY, in 1982.
I sent the seeds in a Ziploc with damp paper towels inside, so fingers crossed!
That’s interesting, that it’s a seedling of Overleese! All I know is that, of my three paw paws (I also have NC-1 and ksu Atwood), the SAA Overleese has been the most vigorous, and precocious. The NC-1 was also purchased in 2016, and it hasn’t even flowered yet. Meanwhile, the SAA Overleese flowered in it’s second year in the ground and had fairly significant fruit last year and this year. The ksu Atwood was planted in 2018 and also hasn’t flowered yet.
Wow, sounds like a nice variety to have! KSU Atwood has been fairly vigorous for me, as is Overleese. Let me know if you’re interested in swapping scionwood this winter/spring.
We had a big rain last night and these fell off the tree. I only cut open and ate the largest one. For me, this was paw paw perfection. Just the perfect texture and flavor. Haha, although I have two more ripe ones ready to go, and maybe I’ll think the same thing about the ones I eat slightly riper tomorrow! .
The consistency has gotten softer and butterier. Not like mango or custard or avocado, just soft and kind of melting without being too slimy. It feels like it coats your tongue and fills your mouth, in a good way. The taste had gotten sweeter and deeper. Still a tutti-frutti sweetness, but now with vanilla and butter and maybe almost a caramel kind of flavor. Not as bright a flavor as before. Very delicious.
I think it’s pretty fascinating how very different the fruit tastes just by ripening an extra day or two from the ones I ate before.
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