Pawpaw is a dimond on my swami. I live in central Florida. Has anyone had it? What did you think of it? Do you know where I can purchase it?

Fruit is native to Florida. Fruit should be available at road side stands for the next couple of months.

It's delicious, with a texture similiar to a mango and a smell and flavor more banana-like.

Don't eat them green and unripe.  They are actually ready to eat when they turn black, but not too soft and mushy.  Experience will teach you when they are prime to eat.  They should peel easily in strips, by hand.  Don't swallow the seeds, but you can scrape the fruit off them with your teeth.

I grew up eating them in the Appalachian Mountains and the smell filled the house when we had them laid out on newspapers to ripen.  Miss 'em!

Hope you're able to find some, they're absolutely delicious Some of the older orchards around my home town in southern Michigan had pawpaw trees and we kids would gorge ourselves on them.

If you're able to find some, as Victoria says, wait until they're black to eat them. I always thought they tasted like bananas and pears mixed up with custard, when they're dead ripe. Luscious!

You might try local farmer's markets to see if anyone is either selling them, or knows someone offering them. Good luck!

  Thanks! I will check our roadside stands.

I've heard they are "way down yonder."     Sorry... couldn't resist.  Too much singing with the kiddos, I suppose.

Quoted from Plucky

I've heard they are "way down yonder."     Sorry... couldn't resist.  Too much singing with the kiddos, I suppose.

HA  

I live in Athens County, OH, where a local fellow has been doing a Paw Paw based business for some years now. He buys from local farmers as well. He's into the slow food/local food movement. You can order paw paw jam and stuff from him.

http://www.integrationacres.com/

From the site:
Pawpaws to the People!

That’s what we’ve been doing with Integration Acres Ltd. since 1996, when we first commercially offered freshly picked pawpaws, followed with our seedless frozen pawpaw pulp 1998 and then are line of jarred products in 2000.

Upon graduation from Ohio University (Athens, Ohio), with a Specialized Studies Degree titled Wholistic Transition to Sustainability, company founder Chris Chmiel was searching for a way to make a living while staying true to his values and his interest in sustainable, organic food production.

While studying and farming in Mexico in the early 1990s, Chris was exposed to a wonderful exotic tree fruit called Guanabana, or Sour Sop. Its large seeds seemed similar to its North American cousin, Asimina triloba, commonly known as the pawpaw tree. Mexicans were using it in juices, lollipops, ice creams and more. Years later, after watching pounds and pounds of delicious pawpaw fruit rotting on the ground, Chris decided to investigate further potential uses for this wonderful native treasure. He discovered that native cultures and frontiersmen alike relied heavily on pawpaws for sustenance. He was also pleasantly surprised to meet a whole movement of chefs, farmers, scientists and other pawpaw enthusiasts interested in returning the pawpaw to the diets of modern people.

He even started a Paw Paw festival, just down the road from us:
http://www.ohiopawpawfest.com/

The web site for the festival is brief and to the point-- unfortunately it doesn't give the music schedule. There are always really good bands and a diversity of music. One year they had a contra dance with a great local band. Also rock, jazz and more.

A family friendly event and lots of fun, and way sustainable.

Guanabana is indeed excellent tasting!

Quoted from Lola

Guanabana is indeed excellent tasting!

My understanding is Guanabana is particular high in Annonacin. This is a nerve poison.
There are claims that regularly consuming small dose of annonacin over a period to might lead to Parkinsons.
Others assert that it can be used to treat cancer.

PawPaws are also high in acetogenins, which I presume is why people use paw paw for cancer treatment.

so is pawpaw guanabana or chirimoya?

the Spanish translation of GTD has chirimoya for paw paw.....

Quoted from Lola

so is pawpaw guanabana or chirimoya?

the Spanish translation of GTD has chirimoya for paw paw.....

I had read that paw paw was from the Spanish word for papaya, because the Spanish Conquistadors thought the fruits were alike.

Guanábana is brazilian paw paw but it does not appear to be quite the same as US Paw Paw. I think we call it sourpus in the states.  Scientific name: Annona muricata

Chirimoya is peruvian paw paw. It is spelled differently in english cherimoya. You can get it in California, but I have not seen it on the east coast. Scientific name: Annona cherimola

In the US pawpaw includes a number of species in the genus Asimina. I think around me the trees are Asimina parviflora.

Without evidence to the contrary, I would assume the same rating for all. But if Chirimoya and Guanábana are foods that people eat, maybe we should put them on the SWAMI request list.

All these trees are related.

cherimoya is on the list, or was on the list......I know I saw it somewhere

and I was assuming pawpaw was guanabana

papaya is already listed as well.....

Yes Cherimoya is on the list, but for me it is much lower than PawPaw.

Diamond versus neutral.

I must confess that I did not look or remember it. I do not think about it much, since I have never seen it for sale in North Carolina. So it is not a food option for me.

Quoted from Lola

I was assuming pawpaw was guanabana

Botanically guanábana is closer to cherimoya (Same Genus) than to what is called pawpaw in the US (Same family).

I have read that pawpaws are supposed to grow wild in the southeast.  I've been all over the southeast and have yet to see a pawpaw tree!  Surely if I'd seen one I would have asked what it was.  Maybe I've seen them at the wrong time of year.  I like trees and plants (and food if you couldn't tell) and know a good many of them in our area, but I sure would like to see a pawpaw.

I bought a cherimoya at the farmer's market a while back (and it was labeled as such).  We started  singing "What do you do with a cherimoya?" to the tune of "What do you do with a drunken sailor?" because I didn't know what to do with it.  Finally I cut it open and we just ate it.  I can't say it was very good.  So what's the verdict?  Are cherimoyas supposed to be eaten black too?  This one was green.

How firm was the flesh of the cherimoya?

I think the flesh should be soft like an avocado. If it was not soft, I do not think it was ripe enough.

definitely soft, juicy, sweet and delicious when ripe!

I don't remember.  I'll have to pick up another one next time I'm there.