Questor,
I'm glad you got your first taste of pawpaws. Pretty good, right? It's a tropical fruit you can grow in our temperate zone. No doubt--it's a tropical taste. I usually say it's a combination of mango, papaya, banana, and pineapple. Flavors will vary with variety and ripeness.

Storing them in the fridge will add several days to their shelf life.

Start driving now to get to the pawpaw festival this weekend!

Marc

Thanks for the reply marc. Mine are now in the refrigerator. The p-paw festival sounds very interesting I must admit. I may consider it for a future road trip adventure. Hope you enjoy this years festival yourself.

Thanks again,,, ~ questor ~

They only last a few extra days in the fridge. They freeze well, though. I just peel mine and put them whole or cut in half into freezer bags, then dust with a little fruit fresh and roll them around in that. I know I could take the seeds out before I freeze them, but that seems like a lot of work at once since its so tedious, easier for me to remove the seeds form one package at a time as I use them.

Questor, In the past, I have stored Pawpaws in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, although they were picked from the tree at an earlier stage than yours. And the Pawpaw Foundation says that certain varieties, such as Shenandoah and Overleese, can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 weeks, and still maintain high quality.

Benny

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice. Mine seem to be holding their own right now in the refrigerator. I am eating the furthest along ones first. The skins seem to be fairly durable despite a few bad spots and moldiness. In fact, I have just been slicing the fruits in half cross-ways and using the skin like a little cup to scoop out the still quite yummy flesh. This avoids cutting cross-ways of the fairly large seeds. Any other advice or techniques just on how to simplify the standard fresh eating process?

Walk the creek banks, areas near dunes, where clearing provide just enough light. That's where I've found many big ones. 6-7".
Keep you eyes out for Tall 'stands' as they aren't as visible as you walk the woods. We found 60+ in one particular stand that was half buried by an encroaching sand dune. They were way up there, but all it took was a sharp shake and they landed on the soft sand and rolled to the bottom. As a newby to paw paws I couldn't believe it! I also found a strip of paw paws between a corn field and the road.
They are ready to be picked in a week.
noogy

Thanks Noogy for the wild harvesting tips. But sad to say that they do not grow in the wild here in my zone4 location. It sounds like you are onto something really good there for yourself, so congrats for that. 6 - 7 inchers you say - WOW! The longest one in my Integration Acres shipment was 3 inches. 10 days in my refrigerator at 34 degrees didn't effect them at all either. Looks to me like 3 weeks of refrigerated storage may well be within the realm of possibilities.

I just finished up my shipment of I/A Paw Paws. Except for one last one that I am holding back on in order to let it ripen to its max. The riper ones were definitely best in my little home trial of about 9 or ten fruits.

As far as for final taste/flavor notes goes, I will say that they tasted like, um, well - Paw Paws! The banana/pineapple/mango analogy all seems to have pertained to some minor degree. But overall there is a more overwhelming presence. And that is it's own unique Paw Paw flavor factor that has to be experiences for oneself in order to fully appreciate. I am just glad that I finally got that opportunity. And am quite pleased with the results. I would definitely recommend them to curious sorts of folks or any self described fruit connoisseurs to give them a try!

I purchased 2 pawpaw trees which are doing great in my southeast Pennsylvania area. The only thing I did wrong was plant them too far apart, so I have to hand pollinate them to get more than a few fruit. 10-12 ft is the correct distance. Mine are closer to 24. My husband found that hilarious. Mine last 1-2 weeks in the fridge if I pick them when just ripe. I can't describe the flavor either, but they are soooooo delicious!!