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Page A-10 - Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
PEBMAGULTURE
Pawpaws — ‘mythical fruit
awpaws are
a fruit with
mythical sta-
tus, more prominent
in songs than stores.
I’ve been chasing
them since I was in
the Northeast. When
you taste their tropi-
cal decadence and
your bodfs sent
humming by their
superabundant nu—
trients, you’re sure they grow
in some place far from our
dark rainy shores.
It has been posited that
the largest edible fruit in-
digenous to North America
has been growing here since
it was orphaned by the split
of Pangaea. It retained its
sumptuous flavor while
adapting to colder tempera-
tures, particularly those of
the Midwest and East Coast.
A ripe pawpaw has the tex-
ture of rich custard and the
taste of banana-pineapple-
mango, perhaps with a hint
of .
Shelf life is the downside
to this delicious fruit. It is so
perishable that you’re unlike-
ly to find it outside of farmers
markets or fancy eateries
that source it locally for ice
cream, smoothies or beer. It’s
easier to grow it than buy it,
and fortunately our climate
ers
By ALEX
FETHIERE
We specialize in quality, pain free, dental work,
delivered compassionately and with your
preferences as our top priority.
is reasonably hospi-
table to this charm-
ing tree.
hearkens to some-
thing equatorial,
the leaves have the
size and shine of a
jungle plant. They
always have a pen-
dulous quality no
matter the height
of the tree, which
usually reaches something
like feet as it spreads to a
pyramidal growth habit. As
such, it is a great understory
tree for beneath our existing
canopies.
As an understory tree,
pawpaws do not require the
full sunlight of taller trees.
This doesn’t mean that they
prefer darkness, although
too much light will burn sap—
lings. I’m told they will fruit
even in partial shade, but
the fruiting specimens I have
seen bask in full sun at least
some of the day. Because the
pawpaw spreads by lateral
roots that form adventitious
shoots, it might be able to
feed a root network by mi—
grating thickets into sun
patches.
Walnuts are one North-
/west tree particularly suited
to towering over a belt of
pawpaws. The Juglans ge—
.’ , \V
Dental Group
g.
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With hours from early morning to late
evening at two locations.
Just like the fruit
nus, which includes English
and black walnuts, exudes a
toxin, juglone, from its roots.
This compound has been
found to damage and kill
apple trees up to 50 feet
distant from black walnut
trees. J uglone is particularly
prevalent at the base of black
walnuts, and stifles competi-
tion from most other foliage
-—‘but not pawpaws.
Soils recommended for
pawpaws are rich, moist and
well-drained. I’ve planted
them in clay, silty loam, near
water, and in sand and have
seen them survive in all cir—
cumstances. They don’t like
wet feet but appreciate access
to water.
Competition from trailing
blackberry has been the big—
gest problem so far, and deer
have been no problem at all.
At the moment, sand with
a lot of bigleaf maple duff
seems to yield the best re-
sults, but that remains to be
seen as the trees flower and
bear fruit.
In keeping with the tree’s
other exceptional qualities,
the flowers are fleshy, showy
purplish growths with a whiff
of rotting meat. Take comfort
knowing that if we lose hon-
eybees to colony collapse dis-
order, mites, and murder hor-
nets, the pawpaws will still
Pawpaws might b he largest edible fruit Indigenous to
North America. Journal photo by Alex Féthiere
be pollinated as long as there
are carrion flies and beetles.
Some orchardists have been
known to throw guts around
their pawpaws, but it’s more
common to pollinate them by
hand.
Given that pawpaws are
most common on the East
Coast and in the Midwest, I
wanted to be sure they would
yield in-the Northwest. Sure
enough, I found a bearing
tree in Belfair and another
in Portland. Local nurser—
ies supply and continue to
develop this tree, spreading
food sovereignty wherever it
grows.
A Wisconsin founder of
a permaculture intentional
community, Dreamtime Vil-
lage, said he is planting paw-
‘paw patches all over their
land, because no one is plant-
ing pawpaws this far north
(we are!) and they will be
feeding everyone in 50 years.
In thesetimes of instability
and rapid change, one can see
why he believes that planting
pawpaw patches is the most
radical thing you can do.
I Alex Fe’thie‘re has lived on
Harstine Island long enough
to forget'New York City,
' where he built community
gardens and double-dug his
suburban sod into a victory
garden. He can be reached at
0nlandist@gmail.com.
Same Day Treatment
Between our two locations we are able to
accommodate emergency care the same day.
Routine Teeth Cleanings
Cleaning appointments are available within
2 weeks and sometimes even sooner.
Shehon
717 West Railroad Avenue
Bowers Dental Group Office Hours
1525 Olympic Hwy North Monday - Thursday 7am o 4pm
Shehon
Preferred provider with
360 426-971 1 Delta Dental
Steven H Bowers, DDS, LLC Office Hours
Mon, Thurs, Fri 8am — 5pm
Tuesdays .1 pm - 8pm
360 426-1664