The Poor Man's Banana

I get anxious waiting for hunting seasons to arrive. Squirrel season opens the last Saturday in August. Dove season opens September 1st. Wood duck season begins the second Saturday in September. Bow season opens the last weekend of September. Even though I know the usual line-up of season starting dates, the anxiousness builds as I observe the true “signs” of the impending season.

The box elder leaves turn brown and begin falling in mid-August. Cool nights when one can first sleep with the windows open offer a welcomed break from summer’s heat. Mornings take their time turning into day as the fog in the river bottoms lingers past sunrise sometimes until noon. And the river grass begins losing its grip on terra firma.

There’s a sweet smell I associate with these early fall hunting seasons. It’s a smell that brings me joy – takes me back to my childhood when I would tag along with Dad as he squirrel hunted. It’s the smell of the pawpaw.

“The pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to America. Individual fruits weigh 5 to 16 ounces and are 3 to 6 inches in length. The larger sizes will appear plump, similar to the mango. The fruit usually has 10 to 14 seeds in two rows. The brownish to blackish seeds are shaped like lima beans, with a length of 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches. Pawpaw fruits often occur as clusters of up to nine individual fruits. The ripe fruit is soft and thin skinned.”

“Pawpaw fruit ripens during a four-week period between mid August and into October, depending on various factors. When ripe, it is soft and yields easily to a gentle squeeze, and has a pronounced perfumed fragrance. The skin of the green fruit usually lightens in color as it ripens and often develops blackish splotches which do not affect the flavor or edibility. The yellow flesh is custard like and highly nutritious. The best fruit has a complex, tropical flavor unlike any other temperate zone fruit. At present, the primary use of pawpaws is for fresh eating out of hand. The ripe fruit is very perishable with a shelf life of 2 or 3 days, but will keep up to 3 weeks if it is refrigerated at 40° - 45° F.”

As I opened trails to the various tree stands and duck blinds with the weed eater, I often encountered that joyous smell this past weekend. Pawpaw patches are numerous on Strum Island. I stopped to squeeze open one of those delicious fruits, savored the pudding-like contents, and prayed a prayer of thanksgiving - thanks for the bounty of the land, thanks for olfactory senses to enjoy the prize, thanks for a father who saw fit to include me in his life in the woods, thanks for sufficient memory to return to those carefree days when falls’ excitement was in the air, and thanks for the time away from all life obligations to once again enjoy the poor man’s banana.