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Can you tell me about any lesser-known local fruits or vegetables in your area that you think more people should discover? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I gotta give it to mulberries, don't get enough attention!

The buds of the flower Bauhinia variegata are both cooked amd used for pickles, spectacular stuff.

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[–] wrath-sedan@kbin.social 37 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Someone else mentioned pawpaws but i just want to emphasize pawpaws are the shit. Plus if you live in the Eastern US especially the Midwest pawpaw season is HERE. You have no excuse not to leave your house this moment and find your nearest pawpaw grove.

Not convinced? Congrats you have subscribed to pawpaw facts:

they are related to the custard apple and were brought this far north in the shit of prehistoric giant sloths
they taste like somewhere between a mango and a banana, and so our ancestors in all their wisdom gave them names like Indiana banana, Ohio banana, \ banana
they are a CAPITALIST NIGHTMARE as they have terrible shelf life so can really only be eaten fresh or bought from a farmers market
foraging for pawpaws is super fun as they grow in groves, have super skinny trunks and branches with large long leaves and surprisingly big fruit. To harvest pawpaws you give the trees a gentle shake and ripe fruit will just fall off. Don’t shake too hard or you might knock down fruit that isn’t ripe! Not cool!
to enjoy just shake em down, cut it open and eat the fresh fruit inside (not the skin). Do not eat the big ass seeds leave them where you found em so that out beautiful native pawpaw groves FLOURISH

All in all pawpaws are 10/10 if you want to feel like a literal Animal Crossing character shaking down trees for sustenance and having a great time eating fresh fruit outdoors

[–] prowess2956@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thank you for this. These are the pawpaw facts I was looking for.

[–] wrath-sedan@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Just doing my part to spread the good word.

[–] radix@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd never heard of pawpaws before! Good to know, I will seek them out if I ever find myself there :D

[–] wrath-sedan@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Many locals haven’t either! They really are a hidden gem.

[–] theragu40@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You seem like you know about pawpaws. I've always been curious. I'm in southern Wisconsin, are they this far north or do I need to travel somewhere?

[–] wrath-sedan@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Looking at a map of their range they might be in the very southernmost part maybe near Madison, but just barely. You’d probably had to head towards Illinois or Indiana for a better chance of finding them.

If you use the app iNaturalist you can also find geotagged groves. Taking a quick peek there’s a handful in southern WI like I said, but they really pick up once you move south.