Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

1. Pawpaw – the Indiana Banana? John E. Woodmansee, December 24, 2021, Garden, Purdue Extension News, Purdue University Extension.
2. Pawpaws: What you need to know about the 'Hoosier banana' Karl Schneider August 7, 2023 Indianapolis Star.
3. Pawpaw on the NATIVE TREES OF INDIANA RIVER WALK at Purdue Fort Wayne.
4. Pawpaw Asimina triloba at Morton Arboretum.

5. Welcome to another bountiful harvest of Turtle Island's largest native fruit.

   Posted by The Decolonial Atlas on Saturday, August 19, 2023

   Saturday, August 19, 2023 post by The Decolonial Atlas on Facebook:

   Welcome to another bountiful harvest of Turtle Island's largest native fruit.

   Inigenous Words for Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

6. 1866 - pawpaws used to adorn Indigenous orchards of Allen County - Allen County Fair - Pears

   Article from Oct 24, 1866 The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1866, Pawpaw

   1866 - pawpaws used to adorn Indigenous orchards of Allen County - Allen County Fair - Pears The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Wednesday, October 24, 1866, Page 2.

   Mr. Peltier, however, was not far behind with three plates of the Vicar of Winkfield and Glout Morcean, so swelled out of size and proportion as to remind beholders of the huge green pawpaws that used to adorn the Indigenous orchards of Allen County.

7. Mentioned in the 1877 poem The Wabash.

   1877 - The Wabash - Maurice Thompson - pawpaw - sycamore - tulip tree

   Article from Feb 17, 1877 The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1877, Pawpaw, Tulip tree, Sycamore

   1877 - The Wabash - Maurice Thompson - pawpaw - sycamore - tulip tree The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Saturday, February 17, 1877, Page 2.

   THE WABASH.

   BY MAURICE THOMPSON.

   There is a river singing in between
   Bright fringes of pawpaw and sycamore-
   That stir to fragrant winds on either shore
   Where tall, blue herens stretch lithe necks and lean
   Over clear currens flowing cool and thin
   Through the clear furrows of the pebbly floor.
   My own glad river! though unclassic, still
   Haunted of merry gods, which pinings fill
   With music all the go den will-breaks!
   Above the Halycons lifts his legal crest;
   The tulip tree flings thee in flowery flakes;
   The tall flagg over thee its lances shakes;
   With every charm of beauty thou art blest,
   O happiest river of the happiest West!

8. 1891 - Northern Indiana reports a shortage in the pawpaw crop.

   Article from Sep 26, 1891 The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1891, Pawpaw

   1891 - Northern Indiana reports a shortage in the pawpaw crop. The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Saturday, September 26, 1891, Page 4

9. 1902 - Fugitive Gives Up - Murderer Smithson Surrenders to Officers - Subsisted on Paw-Paws

   Article from Oct 7, 1902 The Fort Wayne News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1902, Pawpaw

   1902 - Fugitive Gives Up - Murderer Smithson Surrenders to Officers - Subsisted on Paw-PawsThe Fort Wayne News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tuesday, October 7, 1902, Page 2.

10. 1904 - Testimony Which Carries Conviction - Munyon's Paw-Paw - Natural Remedy

    Article from Mar 22, 1904 The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1904, Pawpaw

    1904 - Testimony Which Carries Conviction - Munyon's Paw-Paw - Natural Remedy The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tuesday, March 22, 1904, Page 6.

    TESTIMONY WHICH CARRIES CONVICTION It is not wholly what I say but what the people say who have been cured by my new discovery, Paw-Paw, which should exert the most convincing power on the sick and suffering. From every quarter of the country, every state, county, city and town: come letters from the people telling the glad story of cure. Dyspepsia, and all other stomach troubles are driven out. Nervousness and sleeplessness are being cured of the blood and through the purification which Pan-Paw brings about, Catarrh, Rheumatism and all other blood diseases are surely being eradicated. MUNYON

11. 1904 - Munyon's Paw-Paw Tonic Makes The Blood Pure

    Article from Mar 25, 1904 The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1904, Pawpaw

    1904 - Munyon's Paw-Paw Tonic Makes The Blood Pure The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Friday, March 25, 1904, Page 2.

12. 1905 - Munyon's Inhaler Free With Paw-Paw A Completer Cure For Catarrh

    Article from Apr 8, 1905 The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1905, Pawpaw

    1905 - Munyon's Inhaler Free With Paw-Paw A Completer Cure For Catarrh The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Saturday, April 8, 1905, Page 11.

    Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. It is a symptom usually associated with the common cold, pharyngitis, and chesty coughs. From Catarrh on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

13. 1916 - Pawpaws are on the market again. They are chiefly useful to throw at political spell-binders.

    Article from Sep 12, 1916 Fort Wayne Daily News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1916, Pawpaw

    1916 - Pawpaws are on the market again. They are chiefly useful to throw at political spell-binders. Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tuesday, September 12, 1916, Page 14.

14. Aug. 12 show "Persimmons and pawpaws with Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp" Listen Sat. Aug. 12 from noon to one on WICR 88.7 fm...

    Posted by Hoosier History Live on Friday, August 11, 2017

    Friday, August 11, 2017 post by Hoosier History Live on Facebook:

    Aug. 12 show "Persimmons and pawpaws with Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp" Listen Sat. Aug. 12 from noon to one on WICR 88.7 fm or at wicronline Persimmon and pawpaw trees aren't confined to Indiana, but they have been associated with Indiana for nearly 200 years. Today's enthusiasm for eating local has renewed interest in these fruits. Call in at 317-788-3314 to talk to our favorite gardening guru. What's your persimmon pudding recipe? Post here or email to webmaster mick@hoosierhistorylive.org

    August 12, 2017 show Persimmons and pawpaws with Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp on Hoosier History Live Archive.

    Persimmons and Pawpaws with Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp (Show length 58:43) Originally aired August 12, 2017 Listen to Podcast from Audio from Hoosier History Live

15. We were honored Saturday to have Mark Stadler, president of the Ohio Paw Paw Growers Association, with us to share his...

    Posted by Johnston Farm & Indian Agency on Sunday, October 7, 2018

    Sunday, October 7, 2018 post by the Johnston Farm & Indian Agency on Facebook:

    We were honored Saturday to have Mark Stadler, president of the Ohio Paw Paw Growers Association, with us to share his knowledge of the paw paw fruit as well as judge our paw paw cooking contest. Our entries included ice cream, cookies, pudding, cake, & pound cake, which were sampled by the public through the day. While admitting all were delicious, Mark chose the ice cream, made by one of our boatmen Tom, as his favorite. Tom was awarded with a record size paw paw Mark brought for the occasion. Congratulations Tom! Thank you Mark!

    (Photo credit: Richard B. Smith) [ See John Johnston page ]

16. September 21, 2020 post by Young Urban Homesteaders on Facebook:

    It’s Paw Paw season

    A.k.a the Indiana Banana

    This fruit has been around since Pangea! Yep, that’s right! Since all the continents were one large landmass! They actually evolved before the honeybee, thus they are pollinated by flies and beetles.

    So, technically it’s an ancient fruit

    The Paw Paw is one of my favorite fall treats! Plus, it is a good source of many vitamins, minerals. It is even a great source of B vitamins, Calcium, and Iron

    Have you ever enjoyed a Paw Paw? Tell us your experience in the comments!

    #pawpaw #indianabanana #poormansbanana #deliciousaf #localaf #ancientfruit #pangea #wegrewthese #tropicalgoodness #midwestisbest

17. September 25, 2022 post by My Indiana Home on Facebook:

    Pawpaws are affectionately nicknamed “Hoosier bananas,” though the flavor is more a blend of banana, pineapple, melon and mango. Check out these fascinating facts about indigenous tropical fruit!

    Farm Facts: Pawpaws;

18. September 17, 2023 post by the Wabash County Historian on Facebook:

    We grow more than corn in Wabash County. These are PAW PAWS (technical [scientific] name is Asimina triloba) also called INDIANA BANANAS. Its that time of the year again when they begin to ripen. Indiana Bananas are ripening and are bigger and better than last year. Known as paw paws they are a yellowish green to brownish black tropical fruit found right here in Indiana. Some say they taste like a banana with a hint of mango and melon. Other claim they are more like a papaya, pear, or pineapple. One taste tester said it tastes like “sour, banana flavored custard.” You decide. Found in "patches" in shady, rich bottom land. the tree can get up to 40 feet with large leaves that point to the ground in clusters. Paw Paw Creek and Paw Paw Township are named for them. Some of you may remember an old song "Pickin' up paw paws put them in a basket," well this is where the song came from. The fruit does not travel well so you will probably never find them in a store. Seeds of the Paw Paw have been found in early Native American archeological sites.

    Ginger Jagger recalls" I remember as a young girl going paw paw picking. Our dad drove out in the country somewhere and me and my sisters filled our pockets full of them. I got hot going home and took off my jacket, forgot I had paw paws and sat on my jacket!" Keith Snyder adds

    "Good luck finding them. The squirrels and deer eat 'em as fast as they get ripe"

    WPD 9-19-1908 “Hoosier bananas are being picked. They are of remarkable size and are delicious.”

    Burl Ives - Way Down Yonder In The Paw Paw Patch July 7, 2022 WJMTV on YouTube.
    ©1963 Decca Records Taken from "The Best Of Burl's For Boys And Girls". Transferred from Stereotape 4Track 7 1/2 IPS.

    [ Paw Paw Patch lyrics at ScoutsSongs.com ]

19. 

    September 22, 2023 post by the Indiana State Parks on Facebook:

    Today is National Pawpaw Day!

    We are celebrating the Midwest's "banana"! Although tasty and edible, the pawpaw’s (Asimina triloba) ripened fruits are often difficult to find, since they are eaten by many forest animals. If you manage to get a pawpaw, it's said that they taste similar to a banana or a mango. This small understory tree forms colonies or “pawpaw patches” by sprouting new trees from the roots of older trees.

    Learn more about the pawpaw at Pawpaw – the Indiana Banana?