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Pawpaws
The Complete Growing and Marketing Guide
Pawpaws is the first in-depth guide to small-scale commercial cultivation of pawpaws. Also known as Indiana bananas or hipster bananas, this almost forgotten fruit, native to North America, is making a huge comeback with foodies, chefs, craft brewers, and discerning fruit-lovers.
Written by, and for, the organic grower, coverage includes:
- Botany and the cultural history of pawpaws
- Orchard siting and planning
- Choosing the best-quality nursery trees
- Descriptions of over 50 cultivars
- Propagation and organic growing tips
- Pests and disease management
- Marketing and selling fresh pawpaws, seeds, and starts
- Processing and producing value-added products.
Get ahead of the farming curve, diversify your orchard or food forest, and discover the commercial potential of America's almost forgotten native fruit with this comprehensive manual to small-scale commercial pawpaw production.
Blake Cothron owns Peaceful Heritage Nursery, a 4-acre USDA Certified Organic research farm, orchard, and edible plant nursery. He shares his two decades of experience in organic agriculture and horticulture through magazine articles, public speaking engagements, and blogging. Blake lives with his wife and son in Kentucky.
"Blake Cothron's book makes a much-needed contribution to the pursuit of pawpaw culture. It seems that interest in pawpaws has exploded beyond my imagination since the year 1976 when I undertook my quest to bring pawpaws out of the shadows of the forest and into the sunlight of gardens and orchards. This enthusiasm is a good thing, and it now requires answers to the many questions that naturally arise for those new to pawpaws. And since pawpaws are a new crop, there are many questions that orchardists and hobbyists have that Blake expertly addresses. The future will hold more questions and definitely the need for more breeding— an opportunity for the patient and educated amateur."
R. Neal Peterson, founder, Peterson Pawpaws, agricultural economist, USDA Economic Research Service
"Planting a single pawpaw is a re-evolutionary act. Mixed use forests once blanketed us. Acorns, chestnuts, pawpaws, and their regional equivalents were the princes of that realm. With this valuable book, you can pawpaw your own food forests, restoring the diversity, abundance, and climate we all need."
Albert Bates, permaculture instructor, ecovillage designer, author, The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change
"Blake Cothron is an authority on pawpaws and provides a clear, detailed guide for commercial success in growing this "oddly appealing species" (his own words). The supply of this exotic, trending, easy-to-grow fruit has not yet met the demand. Blake shares the wealth of his knowledge, including challenges— and when he doesn't know, he says so (it's probable that others don't know either)."
Pam Dawling, author, The Year-Round Hoophouse and Sustainable Market Farming
"My own fascination with pawpaws began nearly 40 years ago with a visit to pawpaw breeder Tom Mansell's Paw Paw Haven near Pittsburgh PA. Mr. Mansell's food forest landscape had twenty-two varieties of pawpaws at one point. Eventually I discovered my own secret patch. Each September for the past twenty-five years I have waded through tall weeds, navigated a swampy stream bed, and traversed a small woodlot to harvest a few dozen complexly flavored fruits from my secret patch. These I share with friends and family and introduce new people to this uncommon seasonal delight. The pawpaw's revival is long overdue. Blake Cothron's Pawpaws will help bring about the day when fragrant fruit is no longer a rare treat, but a regular part of our seasonal diet."
Darrell E. Frey, Three Sisters Farm, author, Bioshelter Market Garden, co-author, The Food Forest Handbook
