On Thursday, Oct. 3, at 4 pm, the West Tisbury library will present pawpaw guru Neal Peterson to tell the fascinating story of his decades-long efforts to perfect the pawpaw, North Americas largest native fruit. According to a press release, his focus now is to bring this to the attention of the agricultural community, and have us taste the six varieties he has developed. The tasting will follow the talk. This event is presented by Island Grown Initiative. Free and open to the public.

Neal Peterson lives in West Virginia, and has crisscrossed the Eastern U.S. in search of the perfect pawpaw for more than 40 years. He has a masters degree in plant genetics from West Virginia State University, and tasted his first pawpaw in 1975. He has chosen six pawpaw varieties as the finest out of the 1,800 trees he has trialed over his career. Neal will discuss growth, production, and his hopes for popularizing this delicious fruit.

Link:

'Learn to Grow Pawpaws': A talk with Neal Peterson - Martha's Vineyard Times