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PAWPAWS!!

Had a busy weekend this weekend.  Saturday I went on a 25-mile bike ride on the North Central Railroad Trail and then Sunday was a 5 mile hike replete with pawpaw foraging.  The weather was ideal.  Sunny and temps in the high 70's - low 80's.

This was a group hike including my regular hiking buddies, my daughter and her boyfriend, and introducing a former coworker and her husband along with a couple new friends to the local trails and to pawpaws.  The 5 miles we covered took us quite a while to complete as we were stopping every few yards to pick pawpaws.  Altogether I think we collected just over 200 of the fruits that we split between us, not counting the ones we ate along the trail.

What is a pawpaw, you ask?  The pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to North America and they seem to grow in abundance along the riverways here in Maryland and Pennsylvania.  I understand that they are rather prolific in Ohio as well.  They have a very short season and virtually no shelf life so they tend not to be good for commercial orchard growing.  The texture of the fruit's flesh is soft and custard-like, with a taste that can best be described as a banana-mango.  Below are a couple links that describe them in more detail.

https://www.seriouseats.com/what-are-pawpaws-wild-fruit-midwest-how-to-prep-and-eat-pawpaws

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba

Overall it was a great weekend.  Lots of time spent outdoors, getting some healthful exercise; meeting new friends and introducing them to the outdoors; and foraging local delicious fruits.  Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that afterwards we stopped at a local farm brewery and had a few cold, refreshing beverages while listening to a blues band.

Best way to spend a weekend!

 

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