There's a fruit native to New York that many have never tasted, yet it holds a lot of promise for market growth. In this episode of 'Extension Out Loud,' host Paul Treadwell sits down with Anya Stansell, Cornell Cooperative Extension's (CCE) western New York small fruits extension specialist, to explore the pawpaw: a tree fruit with an unusual flavor and a history much older and more layered than most people realize.

Stansell says pawpaws don't taste quite like anything else grown in our region. "They have absolutely no acid, and they're super sweet," she says, describing a flavor profile that's often compared to a cross between mango and banana. The flesh can range from white to yellow, with subtle differences in bitterness and aroma depending on genetics, growing conditions, and sun exposure.

That distinctiveness extends beyond flavor. Pawpaw trees produce broad, dramatic leaves that turn a buttery yellow in autumn, and they serve as a host plant for zebra swallowtail caterpillars, making them valuable not just for eating, but for supporting local ecosystems.

Perhaps most striking is the history behind why pawpaws grow in New York at all. Many of the pawpaw groves found today trace back to Indigenous peoples, who carried pawpaw seeds along trade routes and cultivated them deliberately.

If pawpaws are so remarkable, why haven't most of us tried one? The answer lies in the fruit's fragility. "They're kind of like peaches," Stansell explains, "in that they're very delicate when they're ripe." Unlike peaches, though, eating unripe pawpaws can cause real illness, meaning they must be sold at exactly the right moment of ripeness, a narrow window that makes large-scale distribution nearly impossible.

More than just a culinary curiosity, the pawpaw offers a window into New York's ecological history, Indigenous knowledge, and the limits of industrial food systems. It's a fruit that asks for patience and rewards those willing to seek it out.