Grow Pittsburgh is a gem of an organization providing invaluable support to farmers & gardeners and communities & individuals, assisting with every imaginable aspect of food growing and distribution, and including in their resources libraries, trainings, initiatives, programs, and workshops. But how to focus efforts and attention on the Asimina triloba, better known as the pawpaw? The only way to do it was with a party. 

Tuesday, September 24 brings the year’s final Pawpaw Party at Garden Dreams, their Wilkinsburg-based plant nursery, garden center, and frequent workshop site. From 4:30-6:30 pm, you can taste and learn about what just might be the most popular fruit you’ve never heard of.

Maybe this country’s preeminent historic crop, Indigenous peoples used them often and thoroughly- as a food source; creating cording and rope from the inner bark; utilizing the leaves and stems medicinally. They can still be found in large concentrations around sites with cultural significance, having been not only foraged but cultivated in large quantities.

They were a favorite of George Washington, who enjoyed them chilled for dessert. Thomas Jefferson planted them at Monticello and gifted European friends with seeds. Mark Twain wrote about them often, and Connecticut’s champion tree straddles the property line between his and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s former homes.  Soldiers on both sides were sustained by them during the Civil War, they were a salient source of nutrition for many traveling the Underground Railroad, and for families struggling to endure the Great Depression they were pivotal for survival.

And yet, for many they’re an unknown quantity. As supermarkets replaced corner grocers in American communities, the pawpaw was largely left behind. Shoppers were granted access to the exciting and new, and what was recognized as “the poor man’s banana” fell out of favor, unable to compete with exotic fare like pineapples and, well, actual bananas.  Additionally, their shelf life is short and sweet, making them unsuitable for transport and too risky an investment for food giants.  So as what we consume and how we obtain it moved on from the small grower and away from the locally operated, the pawpaw was largely left behind. 

But as the saying goes, “everything old is new again,” and happily that includes our comestibles. More and more of us are seeing the benefits of sourcing groceries not from corporate megastores where we can also purchase things like televisions and shoes, but directly from farmers in our own communities. And we get curious about what’s historically been grown on the land we occupy, leading us to seek out plants native to our regions. And what many of us are finding is the pawpaw, which has all along been hiding in plain sight.

The botanical family tree they stem from is most prolific in tropical regions, showing up as custard apple, soursop, cherimoya, and ylang-ylang. In the manifestation found here they are native growers in 26 states.  They like humid air and moist soil, are often found near rivers and deep within forests, and they love hot summers and cold winters.  Their leaves contain compounds that act as a natural insecticide. And their fruit is absolutely incredible.

Partygoers will get the opportunity to enjoy this creamy, smooth, and delicious traditional treat, which has been described as “tropical”, “mango-banana”, “floral”, and “sunny” (personal opinion- the sweetest varietals are stunningly similar to that first, flavor-packed, mouthwatering bite into a stick of Juicy Fruit gum). 

They’ll also get the chance to chat informally with Gabrielle Marsden, fervent ambassador to the natural world and phenomenal reserve on all things pawpaw. She’s additionally a passionate exponent of the Zebra Swallowtail, a butterfly who loves the pawpaw and congregates in areas where they are prevalent to feast on their tasty leaves. Marsden will enthusiastically answer your questions on eating pawpaws, growing pawpaws, their relationship with beautiful winged insects, and anything else you might care to ask. S he might even do it in song while playing the ukelele.  As we ease into autumn, this is a last chance this year to savor a bright flavor of summer. Get your tickets now, and get ready to fall for this glorious, historic fruit.