Paw Paw: The North American Mango
OUR FAMILY BRAVED THE CHEST HIGH STINGING NETTLE, POISON IVY, AND MOSQUITOES THIS PAST SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH TO TRUDGE DEEP INTO THE NEBRASKA FOREST AND HARVEST PAWPAWS.
WHAT IS A PAWPAW?
The pawpaw is a tropical-like fruit native to the forest fringes of the Midwest and parts of the South. The fruit looks a little like a mango, with large, brown seeds surrounded by a lemon yellow, creamy flesh the consistency of a firm custard. The pawpaw has a tropical flavor, which is often described as a combination of mango, pineapple, and banana.
Most enthusiasts agree that the best way to enjoy a pawpaw is to eat them raw after they are picked and are perfectly ripe. A perfectly ripe pawpaw will be soft to the touch. The skin may be green, yellowish-green, or even brownish and bruised looking. As long as the outside is soft to the touch, your pawpaw is ready to eat. A ripe pawpaw will only last a few days at room temperature, but you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week after they are picked.
The flesh of the pawpaw will be a beautiful lemon yellow to orange-yellow color. You just slice them open the long way and use a spoon to scoop out the yellow pulp. Never eat the skin or seeds. The pawpaw pulp can also be used in ice-cream, breads, muffins, smoothies, and sauces. There are many recipes online, and we will send you a few pawpaw recipes with your order.
Think you might want to try these tropical treats?! The harvest is limited so order yours soon. We also sell the seeds so you and your kiddos can enjoy planting a Pawpaw tree of your very own.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
In comparison with banana, apple, and orange, pawpaws have a higher protein and fat content. Banana exceeds pawpaw in food energy and carbohydrate content. There is little difference among these fruits in dietary fiber content. Pawpaw is most similar to banana in overall composition. Apple is especially low in protein, orange is low in fat, and both are lower than pawpaw or banana in food energy. See Table 2 and Table 3 for details.
VITAMINS
Pawpaw has three times as much vitamin C as apple, twice as much as banana, and one third as much as orange. Pawpaw has six times as much riboflavin as apple, and twice as much as orange. Niacin content of pawpaw is twice as high as banana, fourteen times as high as apple, and four times as high as orange. See Table 2 and Table 3 for details.
MINERALS
Pawpaw and banana are both high in potassium, having about twice as much as orange and three times as much as apple. Pawpaw has one and a half times as much calcium as orange, and about ten times as much as banana or apple. Pawpaw has two to seven times as much phosphorus, four to twenty times as much magnesium, twenty to seventy times as much iron, five to twenty times as much zinc, five to twelve times as much copper, and sixteen to one hundred times as much manganese, as do banana, apple, or orange. See Table 2 and Table 3 for details. Sodium content has not yet been determined.
FATS
The profile of fatty acids in pawpaw is preferable to that in banana. Pawpaw has 32% saturated, 40% monounsaturated, and 28% polyunsaturated fatty acids. Banana has 52% saturated, 15% monounsaturated, and 34% polyunsaturated fatty acids.
The nutrients are also known for fighting cancer cells. Cancer Fighting Agents
So what can you do with a Paw Paw fruit?! What can you do with a banana or mango? Cookies, popsicles, and other sweet deserts come to mind as well as making breakfast smoothies and adding to a steaming bowl of oatmeal.
NPR article and Ice Cream Recipe
0 comments