Ohio's Pawpaw Festival
Jayne Barnes
-Posted by Jayne
Do you know about Pawpaws? If not, and you live in Ohio... you really should visit Ohio's very own Pawpaw festival at Lake Snowden in September. The pawpaw is a wonderful, little-known fruit that grows throughout central and southeastern Ohio. Many folks think it tastes like a mixture between a banana and a mango. I did a blog post two years ago when pawpaws were abundant and we had visited the festival to hear Joel Salatin speak. That post includes a recipe for Pawpaw Ice Cream, as well as several pictures of the pawpaws we foraged- so if you need a reference for what they look like, check it out here: http://www.honeyrunfarm.com/honeyrunfarm/2014/09/pawpaw-fun-with-pawpaw-ice-cream-recipe.html
When you enter the festival, you are greeted with the sign pictured below: We didn't end up opting for the "rowdy camping," but maybe next year...
There are many demonstrations and vendor booths, including this one making sorghum syrup.
We purchased pawpaw pancakes and pawpaw ice cream, as well as a burrito filled with rice, chicken, veggies, and pawpaw sauce. The kids, in typical fashion, also ate pizza (no pawpaws included). We also met the giant pawpaw man.
And this guy.. dressed up like a giant tree.
There were horse drawn wagon rides.... and random fairies walking around.
And a geo-dome for swinging...
...As well as many other kid-friendly activities such as arts and crafts, bouncy houses, educational displays, electric-tractor rides, and more.
We met up with my friend Angie from Cinagro Farm. Here she is sporting one of her hair falls. Before I met her I didn't know what a hair fall was, but in the past few years she has opened my world to all sorts of artistic inclinations that have made my life more interesting.
Today is technically the last day of summer, so it is time to introduce these beauties... 3 little pumpkins, sitting on a gate... the first one said.... Well, if you have a toddler you know the rest of the story. They will be available in our Etsy store soon! Happy fall y'all!
