Nut tree
farmer and contact for the Southeast
Iowa Nut Growers (S.I.N.G), Tom Wahl of
Red Fern Farm, thinks there is a
definite future in growing naturally
certified chestnuts and paw paws, as
well as black walnuts. Of greater
interest for this project is Wahl’s work
and background with pawpaw trees. While
he doesn’t have family stories about
pawpaws, as a boy, Tom did stumble
across pawpaw patches along waterways in
southeastern Iowa. A member of the
custard apple family, pawpaws are also
known as the Midwest banana.
Pawpaw pulp
does freeze well and is great in pies,
jams, custards, and cakes as well as in
ice cream. Wahl reports that an upscale
restaurant in Tennessee sells pawpaw ice
cream for $10 a gallon. And white
tablecloth restaurants in Iowa City,
including Kurt Friese’s Devotay, stand
in line to get all the paw paws Red Fern
Farms can produce. More
(4 minutes)
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interview with Suzanne Wanatee on maple syrup and black
walnuts Download audio
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