The 2011 ASHS Annual Conference

Pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal] is a tree fruit native to eastern North America which is in the early stages of commercial production. Pawpaw fruit have both fresh market and processing potential. The fruit pulp has a pleasant orange to yellow color with a tropical-like flavor that is a combination of pineapple, mango, and banana. Commercial processing of fruits and vegetables by growers can increase profit margins by yielding value-added products.  Through funding by a 2010 USDA Extension Capacity Building Grant, an extension initiative at Kentucky State University (KSU) began with the specific objectives of: 1) Purchase a Mobile Kitchen for processing fruits and vegetables, including pawpaw fruit puree, for commercial processing safety workshops and use by farmers. 2) Creation of videos and PowerPoint presentations concerning pawpaw puree commercial processing for small farmers that will be available via podcasting, DVDs, and on the KSU Pawpaw and Organic Working Group websites. 3) Develop a Pawpaw Processing and Marketing Guide for electronic and print distribution to small farmers. 4) Hold pawpaw product preference and organic attitudes surveys at farmers markets in Kentucky, Ohio, and North Carolina, as well as a pawpaw wine-workshop and baked goods test by chefs with the UK-Food Systems Initiative. 5) Conduct a product awareness, interest and willingness-to-pay survey within the UK-Kentucky Food Consumer Panel, surveying a sample of 1000 households across Kentucky, for pawpaw value-added products. The KSU pawpaw website (http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu) averages over 70,000 visitors each year. A pawpaw processing webpage was developed that contains videos on pawpaw production and processing. A new extension bulletin, “Organic Production of Pawpaw,” was developed and placed on the KSU pawpaw website; a PDF version of the bulletin has averaged 75 downloads per month. The 3^rd International Pawpaw Conference will be held at KSU in September, 2011 which will allow the archiving of presentations on production and processing methods of pawpaw from around the world.