Wild Edibles: Way Down Yonder for Pawpaws

♪♪ Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch ♪ Look for us there! Finding pawpaw trees in our local forests is fairly easy. Finding fruit on a pawpaw tree is the tricky part. Join master forager Nick Spero in search of the pawpaw fruit, a small green potato-shaped fruit with a flavor often compared to bananas, with hints of mango, vanilla, and citrus. The largest edible fruit native to North America, those pawpaws are a local commodity made into bread, ice cream, and salsa, just to name a few dishes. And while pawpaws are the goal, we will be sure to keep our eyes open for other wild plants that can be foraged in this easy-to-moderate, low-intensity hike. Nibble along the way to learn valuable foraging tips and techniques.

To limit our impact on the park, let’s concentrate on learning to identify and sample taste rather than foraging, which may damage an area when too much is taken.

Our field trip leader, Nick Spero, spends his retirement outdoors as an avid hunter and fisherman. Primitive technology has piqued his interest since childhood. Here is a video produced by NPR about Nick.