[Notch]

Question for the experts here... I know pawpaws are edible and Indians used to eat them. My question is when can you eat them or whens the best time to eat em? I was hiking today down near the river (Lock 12) and theres ripe pawpaws everywhere. Some are green and have fallen. Some are green and still on the tree. Some are purpleish and fermented. Do they have to be cooked or just chow down on em?

Notch

 

[troutbert]

We had paw paws when I was a kid and we just chowed down on them. With paw paws the line between "ripe" and "rotten" is pretty thin.

On Wikepedia it says people make preserves out of them.

 

[Woodywoodduck]

If you have an area that has paw paw trees... WATCH them like a Hawk, for the deer, coons, fox, possums and most every wild critter are sniffing them out.....

We always watch and as soon as they started dropping, we gathered as many as we could...

There is not a thing wrong with picking paw paws up off the ground and most times, they are good and ripe when they hit the ground... but, you have to beat the critters to them!

Just take a paw paw and eat away...best way I've found to eat them... chow down on them as I'm picking them up and when I get home...never knew of any cooking done to them!

 

[susquegander]

along the creek is full of them when they get a yellowish brown color EAT AWAY