How To Find Pawpaws In The Wild

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[@LearnYourLand]

A few extra points to consider regarding the distribution map at 4:48 ... The green color depicts the classically-defined native range of common pawpaw. The species, Asimina triloba, definitely grows outside of this range (as mentioned by a few people in the comments section). There are many reasons for this (e.g., alterations in the landscape, intentional plantings by humans, changing climate). This is to be expected. Nothing in nature is static. The distribution map for a particular species only records a snapshot in time. Still, to find wild pawpaws, it's a great idea to explore areas within the range shown at 4:48, understanding that your chances of finding the trees diminish the more you move away from this classically-defined native range. Happy scouting!

[@MaekarManastorm]

are you aware of any pawpaw thickets around the ( North Park ) Park area? North of Pittsburgh?. went looking the other day but did not have any luck.

[@turkeybeard2010]

You ever go to the PawPaw festival at Lake Snowden in Athens County Ohio? It's a lot of fun.

[@richosthoff7212]

Not sure what species they are, but I live in Central NJ, way out of the green zone, and I know of 7 trees I can walk to from my front door in under 5 minutes.

[@ConservativeCE2]

Paw Paw grows on the same root. Where there is one, there is many.

[@tactfulredneck3937]

What's the best thing you could tell me about learning trees any books or guides groups maybe

[@BudgeChem]

Pawpaw trees make me smile. The trunk and branches are just straight lines and 90 deg angles. They look like a real-life version of asking a three-year old to draw a picture of a tree in crayon. The leaves and fruits look like a kid's drawing, too!

[@chaznonya4]

Lol, when I was little I used to ask my papaw to find me one of those tree potatoes.

[@huntingnightmares4317]

For the best texture an flavor, the optimal time to harvest is somewhere between the time they fall from the tree and hit the ground.

[@trimbaker1893]

yep, within about eight inches from hitting the ground is just right.

[@bookswithatwist-vanvelzerp9262]

LOL

[@montgomeryfortenberry]

Yes the gravity catch method

[@robertfulmer8475]

I use nets higher than a deer can reach

[@trimbaker1893]

@@robertfulmer8475 when theres a paw paw or a persimmon, deer will figure out how to win. : )

[@Jon-xq3kn]

In 2020 I bought 53 acres of woodlands in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with 2 mountain streams, an incredible cave, and dozens of pawpaw trees. But not all trees bear fruit so here's a helpful hint for finding the ones that do. In late September, go out at night in moist lowlands near creeks and rivers and scan the area with a flashlight. Pawpaw fruit practically glow in the dark. They're much easier to spot at night than in daylight. I bought an ice cream maker last winter and I can't wait to make my first batch of pawpaw ice cream! Personally I'd say they taste like a cross between a banana and a pear. In other words delicious! Good luck, and from someone who contracted Lyme in 2021, PLEASE check yourself for ticks when you get home!

[@barbarahughes2906]

Sorry you have Lyme! Shutting the barn door after the livestock escaped, but when I'm in deep tick brush, I have my deet and my head covered, but I also wear...Nylon Pantyhose! 🤣 Seriously, find the biggest size you can find and your bottom half will be protected. I, too, live on the BR, and have only had 2 attached ticks over the last decade. Hope you are feeling better, and enjoy your beautiful land.

[@roblena7977]

Thank you I live in VA and just learned about this. Love the fact there is a fruit that requires adventuring to find.

[@lienmai1277]

Oh Jon! Lots of creatures would also venture out at night! What it would be if we unknowingly stepped on a mean one out of those?

[@robynperdieu3434]

I have been affected by Lyme for years and just recently discovered that lumbrokinese (not sure of spelling) can be helpful to break the biofilm bacteria of Lyme. Haven't tried it, so no testimony to its effectiveness.

[@danthomas6587]

Wow great tip. You must get tons of fireflies in June. I love woodlands and everything that goes with them. Flora and fauna.

[@mountainmawmaw863]

Every year I make pawpaw jam and can it. we are in southern west virginia. The grandkids love it.

[@333AppalachiaEnergetics]

Pawpaws trigger fond memories of an elderly relative showing me how to find them when I was little in WNC. He is still doing well at 105 & a firm believer of eating off the land! I taught my nephew a couple years ago when he was 8 about paw paws after he sent a pic of some fruits he found by the creek, and asked if they were mangoes!

[@Chris-yo4ks]

PawPaws are the host plant for Zebra Swallowtail butterflies. If you have pawpaws on your land, you can increase your yield by taking a soft paint brush and hand pollinate. My uncle does that every year. Mostly to get the seed to provide more food for the butterflies.

[@rdreynoldsbanana]

You gave me false excitement for a second. Where I live/work in Colorado are countless zebra swallowtail butterflies, but alas no paw paw in Colorado(so far)

[@isabellavalencia8026]

How kind of your uncle and wonderful for you to spread the information...thankyou

[@iamgoddard]

@@rdreynoldsbanana, maybe you're mixing up swallowtails. In a few second on google I found that Pawpaws "are the only host plant of one of our most beautiful butterflies, the zebra swallowtail."

[@rdreynoldsbanana]

@@iamgoddard I re-looked at my picture... Western swallowtail butterfly 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️😅

[@dellto529]

When I was a kid, there was a Paw Paw patch about a mile from our home in central Illinois and I would go there to collect Zebra Swallowtail butterflies. The larva of this insect feed exclusively on Paw Paw, just as the larva of the Monarch butterfly feeds exclusively on Milkweed. Unfortunately, real estate developers view these natural things as obstacles to be overcome, and my little patch is gone...along with the butterflies. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3a6kmmhqtqMgKs

[@tlb2732]

You nailed it! That's exactly how I describe the fruit, a cross between a mango and a banana. I didn't get into hunting mushrooms and wild edibles till I was 50 years old, even though I was born and live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and was blessed with Grandparents who knew very much about wild edibles and shared many with me in my childhood. My Granny Elsie could spot many from a distance and always kept tools and containers in her trunk to harvest what she found. They introduced me to chinquapins, gooseberries, mullberries, huckleberries, dewberries, dandelion greens, poke greens, teaberry, and so many more wonderful treasures. But I was not mature enough and lacked the life experience then to appreciate it all like I do now. I decided to find out what pawpaws were when a jingle I heard on a radio commercial while driving reminded me of a song we sang in kindergarten, "pickin' up pawpaws, put em in the basket". As silly as it sounds, I searched online to learn how to identify them, and soon thereafter, again, while driving, I spotted the unique leaves along the road beside the New River. I'd found a group of several small trees and quite a few fruits. That year I experienced my first taste of them later in the season. I appreciate your channel, your videos, and your sharing of your knowledge and experiences! Thank you!

[@Jo_mommah]

I seen a zebra swallow tail butterfly the other day and followed it around my woodland property for some time lol. Was hoping she would lead me there!!! 🤣😄💕

[@victorbunch7725]

WHUT

[@Jo_mommah]

@@victorbunch7725 she was so beautiful!! I’m going out to look for the trees again now, I know they are around!!! 😁

[@victorbunch7725]

@@Jo_mommah Hi Seedy sower, What kind of seeds do u sow!

[@victorbunch7725]

I once saw a possum picking up paw-paw's & puttin them in his pocket!!!

[@patdavis8018]

@@victorbunch7725 lol

[@dangus6934]

PawPaws helped a lo of early explorers survive when their rations were dwindling. The fruit can't be stored longterm but there are journals explaining how simply finding them in clusters when travelling helped bolster food supplies at least temporarily and prevented starvation.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

never heard of jam??

[@pattiannepascual]

@@ThatOpalGuy jam is great but don't think due to the extreme sugar content, it's a good food to survive on,as jam. And who knows if they were able to even get sugar at the time to make jam.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

@@pattiannepascual honey?

[@erutuon]

​​@@ThatOpalGuy There probably weren't any honeybees when the earliest explorers came through, because they are an introduced species from Europe. I don't know of a native bee that produces a nest with honey that can be harvested, at least in Minnesota.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

@@erutuon good point

[@thestonesaver6345]

We’ve been blessed to have quite a few thickets of paw paw trees on our farm. I’ve always absolutely loved paw paws and I’m always been shocked at how many people have never even heard of them.

[@peacelovejoy8786]

Count me in on that ☝️ I think it's the name - Paw Paw 😄 I live in Oregon🇺🇲

[@joylayton8794]

You are a gifted teacher. Thank you so much for making these videos.

[@Michigander269]

I live in southwest Michigan near a city named after this fruit and I was LITERALLY just talking about hunting for some!! Thank you for your hard work and help!

[@Ch4MMPBoi]

I’m right there, too. It amazes me how few people know of them.

[@Michigander269]

@The Living Man I've been following his content about wild edibles for like 3 years now...are you suggesting that Adam heard me through my phone and made a video just because of my curiosity?? That's even more impressive! Lol

[@Silent-Solitude111]

@The Living Man I like messing with them. I'll find a long video in a different language and loop it. Next day I get ads in said language. Works every time. So yes, they are most assuredly listening to your conversations.

[@b_reel]

Same!

[@Smileface68]

I know that city!

[@jeremybertram5575]

They grow by my creek I think. I'll be looking closer now. Love the videos Adam. Thank you.

[@donHooligan]

that's where i first found them.

[@spiritualspinster4222]

Best way to get these is to have a couple of them planted in your yard, like me 😀 You just have to be willing to plant them when they are very small, shade them for 2 or 3 years, and wait for them to get big enough to produce. Yep, I really like paw paws! You can find cultivated paw paw trees for sale. You must get plants less than a foot tall though, because they don't transplant well once they get bigger. Shade is needed for young trees because they are normally an understory woodland tree. Once you baby them for 2 or 3 years though they require little care. I just throw some manure around them every fall. Yard grown paw paw trees are actually lovely full pretty trees with yummy fruit as a bonus. Mine are now 6 feet tall and beginning to bear fruit at around 5 years old. I'm a fruit tree nut. I also have peach, pear, fig, and persimmon trees but my paw paws are my pride and joy!

[@loriki8766]

I love my pawpaw trees! I suggest you get a third one. One of my trees was almost the victim of an unfortunate accident - thankfully it pulled through but bloomed late this year so my pawpaws could not fertilize each other much if at all so I'm getting another back up tree. Hoping to find a larger one.

[@reginawhite1235]

I'm in WV. We have a paw paw fair every year at the Paw paw fairgrounds. oddly enough I am in my 40s and have never tried a pawpaw. thank you for the video I will go out and see if I can find any trees. love your channel.

[@nickhaney4882]

Does WV have a pawpaw fair?

[@donHooligan]

when you find a fruiting tree you have to watch it closely around harvest time. as soon as they're ripe, many critters compete for the fruits.

[@chrisblevins5143]

PawPaws are awesome! Found my first about 6 years ago. They're delicious!

[@grovermartin6874]

Chris Blevins, I've been told that there is a wide variety in the flavors from different pawpaw trees. Have you noticed that?

[@zackk2640]

Yes! I needed this video

[@EvilAndy-os6bz]

I’ve turned many people onto your channel. Northeast PA here endless mountains. Your info is excellent always. Tyty

[@2Hearts3]

I love your videos-- so clear, concise, and loaded with useful information. I want to learn to recognize and find edibles in the wild, and you are the best teacher i've seen. Thanks very much 👏👍🌿 (anybody familiar with the old nursery song, "The Paw Paw Patch?" 🎶We used to sing this, but i've never seen or eaten them. Looking forward to trying them; they sound delicious! Thanks)

[@anyascelticcreations]

I haven't heard that one, but we used to sing about going around the mulberry bush. I adore mulberries! And I've never had a paw paw either. But I intend to try! Good luck finding yours!

[@rueporter2253]

I live near where you do an I have been helped so much by these videos. As many times , I need the food you are showing us,I am grateful.

[@amytheartist45]

I love that you're based in western Pennsylvania, too! I always get excited to recognize the landscape in the background, and I always know I can find whatever you're featuring

[@pinksalt4524]

“ 🐻But you don’t need to use the claw when you pick a pear from the big Paw Paw 🐯” oh brother “ the bare necessities of life will come to you 🎶

[@lorisouthwick5439]

Pawpaw is on my list of trees and plants I am going to go out and look for here in Indiana. Thank you for the info it will help me immensely.

[@BvilleBootlegger]

I'm in Indiana too and once you learn their leaf they are very easy to spot on the side of the road, you'll realize you are surrounded by them!

[@lorisouthwick5439]

@@BvilleBootlegger thank you.

[@paulmitchell3877]

I live in the extreme north of Indiana. 30 some years ago I planted a sackful of seeds I had saved in a 30 acre woodland area. Last year we had a late freeze and there were no pawpaws. But I can usually find several along the trails in September

[@BestCosmologist]

This channel is incredible.

[@jerryfrancis7523]

Thank you. Had paw paws in my neighborhood in Ky when I was growing up. I was blessed, there was different types of apples, pears,a peach tree, big black cherries, walnuts, and persimmon. As kids we could eat all day

[@wholeNwon]

Love persimmons!! Deer do, too.

[@grovermartin6874]

@@wholeNwon The local DEC representative told me that pawpaws are bears' favorite food. Do you know anything about that?

[@wholeNwon]

@@grovermartin6874 No bears where I live. But bet they would love pawpaws.

[@jerryfrancis7523]

@@grovermartin6874 no, my neighbor and best friend across the street had 2 trees behind his smokehouse. All I know is they are messy and delicious

[@doug3102]

We just planted a pawpaw tree in our yard after coming across one at a local garden center. I don't really know anything about them so this was extremely informative. Thank you!

[@krickette5569]

If you planted it so that you can have fruit you will need to plant another, genetically different, Pawpaw. I ordered mine from a nursery.

[@donHooligan]

get another one or two...or it may not ever fruit well.

[@kaybee63]

Just be aware that they really do sucker a lot. I planted two about fifteen years ago and now I have a pawpaw forest.

[@danplantman62]

I'm 60 now and when I was a young teenager we moved right next to my dad's Uncle Nathaniel. We called him Uncle Thaneil for some reason. He was a character. He was short,dipped snuff,drank on occasion and would keep you laughing.He was a big influence on me about plants.I already loved plants from a young age but when we would go squirrel hunting he would name all these trees and medicinal plants.We had woods in every direction and a little creek that ran for miles. Paw Paws where all over the place closer to the water.I always loved going hunting for them in late summer early fall.Good memories are always made with people who love plants.

[@AmberSoleil1]

Me and my running buddy came across these last summer on one of our long runs, and I absolutely fell in love with the fruit. This year I have new pawpaw patches mapped out along my typical route and I can’t wait for them to ripen. It’s almost time!

[@jacelandadventures1523]

I live in the Cumberland Plateau and have over 500 acres loaded with all the trees you speak of and I still haven’t found any Paw Paws ☹️ After watching this video I’m gonna give it good hard try to find them!! Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@frostshakerrobinson2525]

Hi neighbor! Did you ever find any? I have 130 acres where clinch river & Norris Lake come together. I have them all over. Getting ready to head out now 🤞

[@jacelandadventures1523]

@@frostshakerrobinson2525oh yeah! I found about 20 so far! Nothing with fruit. But since I’ve bought 7 different kinds and planted them 2 weeks ago! I’m stoked for this paw paw journey I’m on!

[@jdschuncke]

Definitely going to find Pawpaws in Nebraska this fall!

[@wandaparker9340]

I live full time in a 1980 34V Avion Travel Trailer. I’ll be 65yrs young this October. I have friends and cousins who live in the country with forests all around them. I am excited to get out and forage for herbs and edible plants to supplement my diet. Thank you for all the information you are sharing with us all It is very interesting to me. I want to learn all I can so that I can help folks who have been injured or are sick now and when the SHTF! You are a Blessing to us all in learning how to go back to the ways of our forefathers and their families.

[@anyascelticcreations]

If you live far enough south, check for pecan trees. They have provided a very welcome lunch for me in hard times. It's much needed protein and fat if you're eating wild. Plus, they are just darned delicious!

[@Whatsittous]

People from the carribean call papaya paw paws, but i always tell them they not the same

[@ranedeer3743]

Kansas City, Missouri is prolific with PawPaw 😊 very lucky

[@veranichole1981]

OMG, I live right on the edge of where Paw Paw’s grow. I drove 45 minutes away yesterday to a forest and I had to collect myself because almost every plant was new! I saw this amazing leaf and found out it was from a Tulip Tree. And let me tell you by the time I left I decided this forest will forever be dubbed the “fruit forest”. There were black raspberries and strawberries and mulberries, and gooseberries, and cranberries, and may apples, and red raspberries (the wild ones), I'd have to look to see what else I found. I mean I found things that weren't fruit as well. There was the biggest patch of poke I've ever seen...so I guess there are poke berries too. I grabbed the youngest ones I could find. I bet you anything that back in those woods amount all those tulip trees there are PawPaw’s. I can NOT wait to go back in season this year!

[@iamthewelcher]

Nice work Adam ! I just bought two this year($139!!each) now I know exactly where to plant em!! And where to find seeds.

[@djack915]

Love ❤️ this dude , he's so happy and concise in his descriptions of all these plants !!

[@pauldodson2018]

Hi Adam, Thank you so much for this video. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it because I have only seen ONE paw-paw in my life and after I watched this video I have found 7 on my little farm. SOOO excited now. You are the greatest!-Paul

[@LearnYourLand]

Awesome, Paul!

[@Vfox1983]

I don't see the ripe fruit until about mid September, but they are fantastic. Love harvesting and cooking with them.

[@marilynlieberman8209]

My hubby planted PawPaws on our property . We live on Eastern Long Island . They have been doing great ! Have them for the past 15 years enjoying the harvest in late September He planted them on a slope , on the north east side near a drainage easement BTW love your videos - we learned so much from them Thank you!

[@rickhenkle7778]

My Grand Dad taught me about PPs in the 60's.. Found a patch by a creek in an oil field I worked.. Only time I found them off property.. Let em turn purple, then the seeds can be used!! Thats how I started my little patch.. Got 16 trees now!! So good too!! Taste like a mix of banana and orange!! Makes really good jam!!

[@sparks2933]

Love watching your informative videos..

[@stanleyschafer4232]

The you Adam for another lesson on tree identification. My eyes will be searching the woods tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your videos with us. 🇺🇸

[@ricksanchez3176]

The way we always did was finding the seeds in the raccoon turds. 😂 When we were squirrel hunting.

[@brucefluckiger5389]

Raccoon turd is deadly! Stay as far away as possible! This is no joke!

[@ricksanchez3176]

@@brucefluckiger5389 We used to make paw paw seed coffee. It's kinda the same process as Civet poop coffee, but the raccoons did the work. You're saying this was dangerous? **Just a note, this was just sarcasm, don't really eat or drink anything that has passed through a raccoon.

[@brucefluckiger5389]

@@ricksanchez3176 Holy smokes! Glad you wrote the ** side note!

[@ricksanchez3176]

@@brucefluckiger5389 Sincerely, what is it you are referring to on the raccoons? I have skinned many way back when, been in barns clear full of their evidence. Coincidentally, a buddy and I were just talking yesterday about how "don't touch turtles, "salmonella salmonella" and how we needed to go set some lines for some good old turtle soup.

[@brucefluckiger5389]

@@ricksanchez3176 It's just the Poop. Raccoon poop contains deadly worm eggs, about a million per once of poop.

[@christinebuckley451]

Love you, brother! You are a 🎁! APPRECIATE Y♡U! 🌱💞

[@zackk2640]

I found some already! The green pepperish smell helped alot.

[@FeralForaging]

I’m lucky to have one paw paw spot that produces fruit prolifically every year. I treasure it like my morel spots. Hopefully with the knowledge from this video, I’ll be able to find new locations. Thank you, Adam!

[@LearnYourLand]

Awesome. Thanks for watching! I wonder what the major tree associates are in Alabama.

[@FeralForaging]

@@LearnYourLand off the top of my head, Sycamore is the first that comes to mind. The spot that I go to also contains a lot of Black Tupelo, Bitternut, and Shagbark Hickory!

[@kimberc813]

This is a conversation between some of my favorite KZbin celebrities! I feel incredibly lucky to be part of it. Lol. I love plant people! 🪴:

[@camohunter]

A very good tree to plant on your own property. I'm partial to the grafted cultivars that produce larger fruit with less seeds.

[@kleineroteHex]

mine is growing but has not bloomed this year either....

[@camohunter]

@@kleineroteHex How old is it?

[@kleineroteHex]

@@camohunter I don't recall if I got a 2 year old plant, but going by the size it may have been a one year treeline it's been planted 2 years now, so it would be 3. Got it from the conservation society or so. Got my peach tree there as well, but 2 years earlier, that baby just took off! My persimmon got planted with the pawpaw and that bloomed this year.

[@camohunter]

@@kleineroteHex they do take about 5 years to start producing fruit. A grafted tree may yield fruit a bit sooner. But they start producing better crops as they mature. You do need at least two varieties of paw paw tree to produce fruit as they are not self pollenating. The Male and Female flowers do not mature at the same time on an individual tree so two varieties are needed. Good luck with it!

[@kleineroteHex]

@@camohunter thank you!!! I asked when I bought it if I need more than one and was told 2 or even 3 would be best, with only one I'd get less fruit. Since I do not need a large harvest, my husband probably won't touch them😂 I figured I start with one. I will find out!!!

[@barrywarren4221]

Living here in SE Pennsylvania there are quit a bit of PawPaw's around here. We even have a lodge named PawPaw Lodge. Thanks again for this video, I learned alot from all your videos.

[@88Blazehaze]

You always bring us good info bra. Thanks for all the legwork man 👍 Stay shaded 🌳

[@mashumichelle]

I sure do appreciate you taking the time to share with us your knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for the natural world. Thank you so very much young man You are awesome❣

[@cathydaniels8957]

I just came back to Maine. I was in Missouri and was hoping to see one. I don't think they grow this far north. I love the video anyway!💪💚

[@hamburger512]

I haven’t found any wild ones in New Hampshire but the ones I planted are doing pretty good

[@Ariel-xz8lg]

Adam, Your Mother must be so proud of you. I am. Outstanding presentation!

[@lindab.6245]

Thank you once again, Adam, for your amazing wisdom and teachings. I always learn something from your videos! Best of everything to you!

[@Godwinpounds4333]

Hi how are you doing?

[@RT69hemicharger]

FANTASTIC Video!

[@markvolstad9380]

We have plenty of pawpaw trees here in Northern Kentucky, but I have never found ripe fruit in September. We usually have to wait until mid-to-late October. If they are not fully ripe, they will ripen in a paper bag. Nine out of ten trees will have no fruit at all, so it takes patience to locate the fruit.

[@ricksanchez3176]

I grew up in southern Ohio, just like you said, 1 out of 10 to find fruit. I knew maybe 10 or 15 groups of them, only 1 had fruit consistently. Maybe the Indians had worked a strain? Or maybe it was the place they were at?

[@markvolstad9380]

@@ricksanchez3176 I read that pawpaws are self-incompatible, meaning they need to be cross-pollinated from an unrelated tree.

[@ricksanchez3176]

@@markvolstad9380 I could see that. I learned the hard way about that with my pears, now have 6 trees, 3 kinds, when I only wanted two.

[@Kotaztrafee]

@@markvolstad9380 It is my understanding that flies pollinate pawpaw trees. Look it up. They say to throw meat and fish around the trees to get the flies.

[@JAK3CAL]

Been growing pawpaw for a few years in pittsburgh! We didn’t have any naturally on our property, despite having a stream / riparian zone and almost every other tree on your list. I hope more in our region learn about this tree and incorporate it into the landscaping of their homes

[@cbcarmack128]

Northwest Alabama Here! I will be keeping my eyes open for this! Thanks again!

[@jerydob6499]

Testimony of fruit bearing trees planted by stream of water... very nice!

[@eric81872]

Thank you for the video! ☺♥ ☼

[@cindyhappel7376]

I can’t wait to look for them. Never had one, but I remember the song “picking up paw paws, put ‘em in your pocket, lol! Thanks for this informative video tutorial.

[@MrBusta30408]

I have two paw paw trees planted in my front yard. They are flowering for the first time this year. I planted them 3 years ago.

[@barbarahuff117]

Thanks for this. Live in Arizona and have a small Grove. They do well under solar watering and what little rain the drought brings. Good info,always.

[@allisonsanimaladventures289]

Thank you Adam! I have been watching your videos for 2 years now and you have taught me so much! I keep finding Magnolia acuminata and thinking it was Paw Paw, but your video has helped me with this, so thank you!!!

[@RSRatornra]

Great video Adam! I mainly watch your content because we live in the same area I'd love to see more mushroom videos!

[@jennifertalley49]

My grandmother always had paw paw trees here in Tn. She made jelly , wine , ect. Wonderful memories ❤. They do taste like ripe banana , mixed w a tropical fruit.

[@galedavis3198]

Again,thank you for sharing your abundant knowledge of our beautiful woodlands, we are lucky to have you brother. LATER

[@nickhaney4882]

I love pawpaws and your videos! Adam your awesome!!! I live in southeast Virginia close to the James River and have found a couple pockets of pawpaws along the river and off tributaries.

[@victorbunch7725]

The nearest i ever came to death was because of a Paw-Paw tree! I was about 5 yr old and there was this Paw-Paw tree out back of the house, I clime the tree and was reaching for the biggest paw-paw i had ever seen then the limb broke i heard something go KA-THUD i looked around and it was me! I landed on my back on this big ol flat rock, I found out that day just how brittle and easy to break paw-paw tree's and limbs are, Funny thing i just dreamed about paw-paw's a few days ago!! I'm 78 now and still love dem dang Paw-Paw's

[@TheTinMan3D]

I planted a few of these on my property a few years ago. I can't wait until they start to bear fruit!

[@donHooligan]

all wildlife will compete. like goumi berries....as soon as they're ripe, they get eaten by something. birds have not allowed me to make any gummy-berry jam....but i have netting, now.

[@georgelstuart]

I stongly suggest pollenating the flowers with a small paintbrush because they are pollenated by flies instead of bees (notice the vaguely rotten smell emanating from the flowers) and if there aren't a lot of flies visiting the flowers you won't see any fruit unless you hand pollenate. I have heard of people throwing a carcass (roadkill) in the pawpaw patch to draw flies during the flowering season.

[@goldberry5384]

I'm so grateful for your videos! They've resparked a love for knowledge of nature and discovering her mysteries. Stay sparkly out there 💛

[@rowin1]

Your passion is contagious! Thank you Adam🙏❤

[@N8uregirl76]

THIS is the year I'm gonna find them! Driving up to GA... SC... and NC. This was such an informative video. Thank you.

[@charminghollowforge1109]

Great video Adam appreciate this truly as this was my father in laws favorite fruit and also the reason we called him paw paw. Lost him last November. Missed seeing your success early mushroom season this year but I know it was a tough season in western pa. Keep the great videos coming brother. Many thanks from us.

[@NatureMan1]

I really appreciate your videos! Great insight into all different plants and trees. I live in Central Indiana so Paw Paws are very abundant in our dense deciduous forests. I am going hiking soon and will look for premature fruits and remember where they are for September. 😊

[@sciencetoymaker]

If you do save the seeds, it's important to not let them dry out. Then, they have to be "stratified" (you can do it by keeping them in a bag in the refrigerator) before they will sprout the next spring.

[@choccolocco]

I saw a pawpaw tree once that looked like a small oak, next to a large creek. I was amazed at all the fruits, big fruits in bunches. That’s the reason I noticed it. Impressive for sure. The little groves aren’t that common for me, but I’ve seen 1 or 2. I do have some pawpaw bushes in the woods, but the squirrel and deer get them before I can. They’re small, about the size of a large peanut.

[@MountainGardenGirl]

My husband and I just love your videos, so clear, so friendly and you really want to ensure that we are successful. That is just so nice of you. Plus, you remind me so much of Bob Denver, and I just adored him...watch the movie Oh God! one day. Thanks for this great lesson.

[@LearnYourLand]

Thank you! I appreciate that! Glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@lindseysmith4225]

I live in Indiana and have a PawPaw patch my Grandma gave me some seeds around 5yrsago and we have a abundance of them now make great muffins thanks for all Ur Videos I Always Enjoy them &Learn Quite a Lot Also🌞 Blessed Thoughts & Wishes🌛🌕🌜

[@ricksanchez3176]

Also, a very interesting thing. A guy I ran across plants paw paw trees. He picks up road kill at pollination time to bring in flies to pollinate them.

[@DirtyDirtbath]

I'm 95% certain there is a pawpaw tree in my neighborhood. I saw it while walking my dog and it looks identical especially the unripe fruit. I'm about to go for a walk and see if I can find it! Edit - the map just popped up on the screen and I'm actually a smidge north of where the green ended. Definitely about to go see if it is indeed a pawpaw

[@karkador]

was it one

[@seankeikbusch9404]

Did you score some paw paws?

[@jeremylee8844]

OMG I was just telling my daughter 2 or 3 days ago that about pawpaw. I've only ever found them once and the fruit was delicious. I found them near Wilkes-Barre Pa.

[@InfiniteCrust]

just spent 5 hours exploring my neighborhood in Maryland, found a pawpaw patch with some unripen fruit thanks to this video, will come back to the patch in September.

[@reelfishing002]

Thought they’re mostly in the south .. As usual, I love all the info

[@primesspct2]

So good to know! When I was hiking so much 20 years ago, my only sources of knowledge for the local area were books and my mother in law ,who was from Virginia. She (apparently mistakenly) said they only grew down south. Now I know I walked right by them, for I have seen those leaves and particularly those weird flowers. If only I remembered precisely where?? lol My mother in law taught me alot, about growing food and foraging and I am forever thankful;.

[@wholeNwon]

I live in the mid-Atlantic area, just outside the zone shown on your map. I've found lots of pawpaw trees on slopes above flood planes near steams but none that bore fruit. Many patches are likely clones, so I continue to search. "Hope springs eternal." Wish me (better) luck this year.

[@pyraxusthelutarian7276]

Non fruiting patches are a fairly common problem in less prolific areas as they are genetically identical and only a very few cultivars can self pollinate. I would suggest that if you do find some fruit producing trees, take the seeds or even some of the smaller whole fruits and plant them within a non-fruiting patch so that once they mature they will intermingle and provide the genetic diversity needed for pollination.

[@wholeNwon]

@@pyraxusthelutarian7276 Great though I'd be doing it for future generations.

[@maggieahrens2817]

@@wholeNwon Thought: bud grafts, or whip grafts of a branch. The pollen from the transplanted branch will pollinate all the clone trees, and vice versa. Do it with a couple of branches through the patch, and maybe some selective culling of the clones, and you could see fruit next summer

[@rogerburrows4624]

I've been very interested in finding paw-paws but really having trouble identifying the tree . Thank you ! You have also gotten me started hunting for wild mushrooms . So thank you for that as well !

[@stevenminnerly5336]

I knew a woods man who lived in north Florida 40 years ago. He harvested paw paws there and made the most delicious pudding out of them.

[@Silent-Solitude111]

Great video, Adam, as always. I've learned so much from this channel and just want to say thank you.

[@kisolar5160]

Thanks so much for all of your hard work. Always appreciated!

[@panderz93]

Love your vids, thanks for posting! I recently moved to pittsburgh and just found out about pawpaws. Excited to forage them for myself w/ your tips!

[@pyraxusthelutarian7276]

So glad that you created this informative video Adam, thank you. Here in Fayette county, PA we have thousands of Paw Paw trees growing wild which I have been foraging for years now, each separate patch having a distinct variety of subtle flavor differences. My own specimen trees in my yard have finally begun flowering for the first time this year, though no fruit unfortunately so perhaps next year. As an under story tree in the wild they tend to be much taller and lankier and producing less fruit than cultivated ones grown in full sun after their first few years shaded. Many people who are in their native range have never even heard of them, though they have a long history to them, particularly during the colonization of America. I'm sure that many other foragers who watch your videos are grateful of your coverage of this amazing native plant, I know I am. 🙂

[@freeman47]

Love finding paw paws. The smell when ripe is amazing as well.

[@Zayskibop]

I’m losing my bananas over all the new paw paw growth this year! Hope to see you at Sequanota, I’ll be teaching a workshop or two 😎

[@dawncathleen]

Thank you, Adam! We live in southwest Pa. Grew up here, and swear I've seen these during my lifetime. We grew up on a 28 acre farm. Gotta watch with hubby when he gets home from work.

[@flyingsodwai1382]

I'm stalking Paw Paws now. Going back a couple times a week to look at em. Still not ripe but an early ripe individual fell to the ground in one of the colonies I stalk and I got a tiny bite. It was great. Can't wait for em all to ripen up. Thanks Adam!

[@hannah64593]

Wow this is so coincidental!! I've been wondering TN for a few years now and I've been wondering what these trees are and this video just so happens to pop up 😭 Thank you so much

[@anasazirose]

My paw paws aren't even dime sized yet! I'd love some of those seeds! I'm in SW PA.

[@dankozy3257]

Many neat things about the pawpaw is flowers don't come out at once as some are finishing others r coming on which is good if u have frost issues.they do grow n north area,I live in Erie county Pa n snow belt n get fruit every year.1 down fall is they have short shelf life.my pawpaw mature 2nd week of October.