How I became Pawpaw-a-holic.

"Hello.  My name is Todd Hardin and I'm a Pawpaw-a-holic."

New Year's Day is approaching.  It's a constant reminder of my addiction.

Valauri and I met on New Year's Day many years ago.  So, New Year's Day already holds a special place in my heart.

New Year's Day 2022 is also special for another reason.  It's the day, I became the pawpaw-a-holic that I am today.

On this day, I googled "What trees are native to Brazil, TN?"  I found an horticulturalist's report from the late 1800's concerning native vegetation in Northeast Gibson County, TN, specifically in the area where our property is located.

In his report, the scientist mentioned pawpaw were the major undergrowth in the area.  He also stated local Native Americans were cultivating pawpaw along the Middle Fork of the Forked Deer River.  This is right along where our property is.

So, I was like, "What the heck is a pawpaw?  I remember my Grandmother and Mother singing a song about pawpaws.  It went something like..."Where, oh where, is Little Suzie?  Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.  Picking up pawpaws, put'm in her basket.  Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.""

As it turns out,  pawpaw are still growing everywhere along the Forked River Basin and everywhere else in the Southeast up through Canada.  If there's flowing water or low lying areas with decent drainage, there's pawpaw trees there.

Most pawpaw don't produce fruit, because they grow in colonies of a single clone.  Pawpaw flowers start off as female in early Spring and turn over to male as the days pass.  You've heard that pawpaw don't self-pollinate.  That's not completely true some varities do.  I don't know if lack of self-pollination is a genetics issue or a timing issue.  Either way, it's better to have to different varieties for fruit.

Point taken.  Pawpaws are right there in front of everyone, but rarely do people take time to notice, because the fruit is either rare or it is well hidden under big leaves.  Pawpaws are everywhere! 

Native Americans were cultivating pawpaw before they were chased off their lands and put on the Trail of Tears.  An industry died before it had the time to flourish.  

So, pawpaw was being cultivated in the late 1800's!!!  Most early Eurpeans already had thier apples, citrus and other worldly fruits.  They didn't see the strange pawpaw tree, just like I missed it my entire life.

My wife is Native American.  Google Analytics indicated a steady upward trend for the keyword "pawpaw".  We noticed nobody was seriously taking advantage of our newly-found fruit tree.  We saw this as an opportunity to enter a new industry.  I remember when pears were almost impossible to find in the grocery store.  So , why would pawpaw be any different from pears?  They didn't last long, in the beginning.

All the pieces just fit!  Here we are today, living our dream, fulfilling a mission, having fun and making friends along the way.

Please join us on our journey..

We' love to hear your pawpaw story.