Pawpaw Season Returns: Ohio’s Native Fruit Ripens Just in Time for Athens Festival
ATHENS, OHIO – Late summer in Ohio means it’s officially pawpaw season, as the state’s native fruit ripens in woodlands and backyards, just in time for Athens County’s annual Pawpaw Festival.
A Fruit With Ancient Roots
The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) has been part of the region for more than 30,000 years. Indigenous peoples once ate, traded, and even crafted beads from its glossy seeds. Prehistoric mastodons and ground sloths helped spread pawpaw patches by consuming and dispersing the fruit.
Designated the official native fruit of Ohio in 2009, pawpaws are an understory tree that rarely grow taller than 30 feet. Their dark red flowers attract carrion insects, while the fruit draws raccoons, opossums, and foxes every September.
What Pawpaws Taste Like
Pawpaws belong to the custard apple family, typically found in the tropics, but Ohio’s temperate forests are home to this unique outlier.
The creamy flesh is often described as tasting like a ripe banana with hints of mango or melon. While many enjoy eating pawpaws straight from the peel, they’re also popular in smoothies, cakes, ice cream, curries, and even craft beer.
Health experts note they are packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, and riboflavin, making them as nutritious as they are unusual.
Important note: the skins and seeds contain toxins and should not be consumed.
How to Grow and Harvest Pawpaws
Growing pawpaws from seed can be challenging, but saplings are widely available at extension sales and nurseries. They thrive in sunny woodland edges and damp soils.
For foragers, the best time to collect pawpaws is the first two weeks of September. Locals recommend gently shaking the tree; ripe fruit will fall easily. Pawpaws ripen quickly in a paper bag and can be frozen as pulp to enjoy throughout the winter.
Athens Pawpaw Festival
Ohio’s love for its state fruit culminates each year at the Pawpaw Festival in Athens County, which draws visitors from across the Midwest. The event features:
- Live music and art vendors
- Food and drinks infused with pawpaw flavor
- Educational exhibits on growing and foraging pawpaws
The festival celebrates not just the fruit, but also the cultural history and biodiversity of Ohio’s forests.
Will you be heading to Athens to try pawpaw ice cream, beer, or fresh fruit straight from the tree? Share your plans in the comments on FatCityFeed.com.
