Homegrown Delicacies Part Two: Fruity Pleasures

Intensely sweet banana flavor and silky mango texture are the hallmarks of pawpaw fruits, or hillbilly mango (Asimina triloba). Half the people I chat with steer clear of Missouri bananas—another of the vernacular names for the fruit of this understory tree with a tropical appearance. The other half is crazy for them—they can’t get enough.

I used to pass when it came to pawpaw, until Jen Sieradzki at Shaw Nature Reserve shared this simple recipe for pawpaw ice cream. Start with 2 cups of pawpaw pulp, which comes from about 10 fruits, minus the skin and seeds. The fruits are really easy to process with a knife and large spoon: split in half and scoop out the contents.

Pawpaws are ripe when soft like a peach. The real trick is harvesting them. They are ripe in August and September. I like to look up and shake tree stems. The fruits move differently than the leaves, and when ripe, they come down with a thud, even on top of you, so be careful. Fruits can vary in size.

For this recipe, use the fresh fruit, or, freeze the pulp for later use.

Next, add 3/4 cup of sugar to the pulp and blend in a food processor. Then stir in 2 cups of whole milk and 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. Put this mixture in the freezer for two hours to chill, then place in an ice cream maker. Best ice cream ever! Now I am mad for pawpaws and pawpaw ice cream.

Pawpaw trees are easily grown at home. Forrest Keeling Nursery is a good source for plants. Plant at least two or three seedlings for successful fruit production, because, like apple trees, they require crosspollination.

Another delicacy I can’t get enough of is plum jam made from wild plum (Prunus americana) or big fruit plum (P. mexicana). Big fruit plum fruits are a little bigger than those of wild plum, and easier to process. Start by planting at least three trees near each other. They fruit well on alternate years, and production is better with multiple trees. A few years later (tadah!) gather the small, tart fruits in late June and July when they begin to fall naturally from the trees. Simmer 3 pounds of fruits in two cups of water for about 15 minutes, enough to soften the skins.

Remove the fruits from the hot water (save the water), cool, and pit them. Return the pitted fruits back to the water, add 1 pound of sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat, cool, and seal in jars. You can keep opened or unsealed jars in the fridge for several months. Try the same recipe with Missouri gooseberries or golden currents, both of which are very tart.

Don’t tell my friends and family, but I have never loved their baked persimmon treats. I’ve been served cookies, crumbles, cakes, muffins, and bars, which, to me, resemble day-old bagels rather than tender, flaky, moist bakery delights. That is until the late Maxine Schuler served me persimmon pudding from the Fields of Greens cookbook by Annie Somerville. Ooo la la! English puddings are cakes baked in a water bath under foil. They come out incredibly moist and flaky, like Boston brown bread. Low temperature

From the bonny bells of heather

They brewed a drink long—syne,

Was sweeter far than honey,

Was stronger far than wine. They brewed it and they drank it,

And lay in a blessed swound…

Robert Louis Stevenson Scotland 1850-1894

and long bake time are key, along with a startlingly generous amount of butter and a few dashes of rum. You will need to secure a food mill (Foley’s for example) for easy pulp processing. Persimmon pulp lasts in the freezer for years.

This recipe may entice you to plant a persimmon grove in your own backyard. They are so easy to grow, and are very tall and narrow, squeezing into the tiniest of urban gardens. Try an improved female variety of native persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) with larger fruits and fewer seeds. Keep in mind that persimmons are dioecious, the male and female flowers are on separate trees. If you plant native seedlings, plant at least four or five, as you won’t know if they are male or female for five or more years.

Scott Woodbury was the horticulturist at Shaw Nature Reserve for 30 years and stepped down from that position in June 2022. He continues to work on contract for Shaw Nature Reserve to carry out native landscaping education and has launched his own business called Cacalia: Native Garden Design and Wilding. Find suppliers of native plants, seeds, and services at the Grow Native! Resource Guide: www.moprairie.org.

The best fruits to eat fresh are serviceberry, red mulberry, black raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry.

Serviceberries (Amelanchier arborea) and red mulberry (Morus rubra) are easy to grow and are prolific fruiters. Deer, birds, and squirrels also like to eat them, so you will have competition. Both eventually grow so tall that the fruits are difficult to reach. You might invest in an orchard ladder.

Native blackberries (Rubus spp.) are much lower to the ground, but have wicked thorns, so invest in some thick denim clothing and leather gloves to harvest in July. It’s worth the effort, however, but there are thornless blackberry varieties.

Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is also dioecious, so it’s important to avoid propagation by division. You may end up with a garden full of male plants, as I did years ago. It’s best to find seedgrown starts, to ensure a healthy balance of male and female plants, and good berry production. Shop for this one in late May when plants are in fruit. You can handpick more female plants (just a few male plants will do) to maximize production. Rabbits love strawberries.

A book could be written about this final entry because American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) has become the number-one berry crop in Missouri. Its clusters of deep purple berries are processed into tasty, medicinal syrups, cordials, wine, and fancy cocktails. They are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, which are known to help boost your immune system, so a teaspoon a day will keep the doctor away. Andy Thomas, at the University of Missouri Southwest Research Station in Mt. Vernon, has been tinkering with elderberries for 25 years. He recently received a $5 million grant to explore production from Wisconsin to Oklahoma and Missouri. They are looking for more efficient ways to harvest the tiny berries, and are busy telling the world about the wonders of this mighty native plant.

That said, Anita Chastain, a retired Montessori guru of Creve Coeur, Missouri already got the message at an early age in Europe. She grew up on batter-dipped, fried elderberry flower clusters, a delicacy she looks back on fondly from her childhood.

Whether you’ve long been dreaming about edible plants or discovering them for the first time, you can grow and enjoy them, season after season in the sanctuary of your own backyard.

Life is short, get gardening y’all!

Note: These resources on native edibles are intended as general information only. As with any food, there is a potential for allergic reactions when consuming native edibles.

Always seek the advice of a health professional with any questions about touching or eating any plant matter.