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One of the appeals of the pawpaw? They make people laugh.“I think they are kind of funny, actually, like they make people laugh in a way,” said Chris Chmiel, owner of Integration Acres in Albany, Ohio.They also have distinctive characteristics. The pawpaw, which is the largest fruit native to North America, is custard-like and has a flavor profile that is somewhere between a mango, banana and pineapple. They are also highly perishable with a short ripening season between late-August and early October.Despite these traits, pawpaws have had a surge in popularity in recent years. “Farmers, they're trying to find ways to make a living, and they see that pawpaws are something that are valuable and they're unique,” Chmiel said. “So I think that a lot of people are hoping that they can plant pawpaws so that they can increase their profits for their farm.”Chmiel's operation is probably the largest pawpaw processor in the world, he says. Through processing, Integration Acres is able to provide pawpaw products year-round, like salsa. Pawpaw can also be turned into things like beer, ice cream and more. In Kentucky, a limited edition pawpaw ale was released in August in a partnership with Kentucky State University and Ale-8.The Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture, conducted every five years, included pawpaw fruits for the first time in its last census in 2022.“I think what's indicative is that there was so much interest and so many people growing pawpaws that it got placed on that census,” said Kirk Pomper, a professor of horticulture at Kentucky State University.They are particularly fruitful in Kentucky and Ohio. As of 2009, Ohio’s state native fruit is the pawpaw, which Chmiel was a part of accomplishing. Since the 2022 census is the first census that includes pawpaws, it does not say much about trends over time.Pawpaws have grown in popularity since Chmiel first opened his farm in the early 1990s. After graduating, he sought out pawpaws with a goal to expand their presence in the world. He was also inclined to them because they have a sustainable agriculture model.Chmiel also founded the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, which was put on for the 27th year last weekend in Albany, Ohio. This festival was the first of several pawpaw festivals, and over time, festivals have skyrocketed to more than 20 in 2024. “I think a festival sort of highlights the experience of a pawpaw,” Chmiel said. “Like, you have to be at the right place at the right time to get a pawpaw that’s ripe.”Though the fruit has gained popularity in recent decades, it can be traced back to precolonial America. Native Americans not only ate and cultivated pawpaws, but also used the materials of the tree in various ways, like making rope and string from the bark. The Shawnee have a pawpaw month in their calendar.Pawpaw trees are found natively across 29 states, plus Washington, D.C., in the eastern half of the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. States like Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas have native pawpaws in most counties. Weather impacts on growing pawpaw treesRecent weather events have brought on struggles for pawpaw growth.According to Chmiel, he has observed more extreme rain events occurring in the spring in the last 10 years or so. He has been farming pawpaws for around 30 years. These heavy rainfall events early in the season cause the roots of the pawpaw trees to get saturated with water and put stress on the plants. The pawpaw, like other species of trees, does not like to get “wet feet” — or when soil becomes saturated.When the trees are stressed, they emit ethyl alcohol and attract non-native ambrosia beetles, which farm a fungus that kills the trees. Because of this, Chmiel has lost trees.“That's been sort of, for me, kind of tragic because I've really worked kind of hard to build up a market,” Chmiel said. “Luckily, like last year, I was able to process a lot of fruit, and I was able to fill my freezer up again.”As he replants, he will focus on drainage in the root system to avoid future problems in his orchard. Specifically, he noticed sandy, well-drained soils, as opposed to soil with clay, are where pawpaw trees have not suffered.Where to get pawpaw fruitsThe perishable nature of pawpaws makes it difficult to produce in bulk. It’s a key reason why you will not find it at the grocery store.“It's a kind of a fragile fruit; it can bruise fairly easily and then it ripens very quickly,” Pomper said.According to Pomper, there needs to be more growers and firmer varieties of pawpaws to supply grocery stores. At Kentucky State University, researchers are breeding pawpaw trees to eventually make a firmer variety. It’s a process that will take a long time.But for now, pawpaw seekers will have to get their fruits from small grocery stores and farmers markets during its short season.“How long did it take for a banana to be like that?” Chmiel said. “It's probably going to take a while longer, but in general, I'd say we're moving in the direction with pawpaws being more accessible and available.”“Are they going to be available year-round? I don't think so, but they are growing pawpaws all over the world now, too, who knows?” he said.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=