The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-05
ABOUT THE PAPAW.

Find me gentleman of the old school
and I'll find you man who likes pa
paws" said citizen who had been loung-
ing through the October markets. This is
a great year for papaws, the country peo-
pie say. Papaws are not quoted in the
market reports, but they are now exposed
for sale on barrel lids in every grocery in
every small town in the State. Although
the papaw, like the love apple or tomato,
is said to be cultivated taste, it is highly
popular with men generally-especially pro-
fessional men, or men who were country
boys. Dozens of elderly lawyers win wax
eloquent and their eyes will glisten when
the papaw Is brought up for discussion.
and numbers OF judges OF my acquaintance
tell wonderful stories of the fine papaws
they eat when they go to hold court in
the smaller towns.
After all, though, the elderly doctor is
the papaw's best friend. He keeps them
in his Office when in season. and is always
ready to distribute them to illustrate his
enthusiasm. They are excellent for the
health. he will tell you, and a valuable med
icine-''papoid' now manufactured from
their juices. Papaws are really beauti-
full fruit, from a color standpoint. They
hang the tree lovely pale gray-green,
then turn yellow, and when they fall-to
mellow on the ground-they become a rich
soft notified brown or black. AS table
fruit the papaw is never heard OF in
this country. Unless papaw spoons were
brought forward it would probably be more
trouble on a civilized plate than the treach-
erous orange. Papaws, to be well en-
joyed, the doctor says, should be eaten in
the open. Break one in two under the sky
and sip natures custard from the cups, let
ting the large brown seeds fall where they
will.
1.-The papaw is a native of South Amer
lea. and all old agricultural reports recon-
mend it for culture in Florida. The South
American papaw grows to be the size of a
melon, and is cooked and favored with
wine or lemon juice, substitute for ap-
pie sauce or other tart fruit. 1t Is also
served as a dessert, pared and sliced, like
the banana.
1.-The juice of the papaw is said to be
an excellent cosmetic, an infallible freckle
remover, and papaw skin food could prob
ably drive cucumber cream out of pres
tige with the beauty makers. It's best prop
erty, however. is its important quality as
a vermifuge. one dose of the juice of the
unripe papaw being sufficient to cure the
worst case. We have towns named in
honor of the papaw-such as Pawpaw.
Ind. Pawpaw. H., and Pawpaw. Mich.
These towns spell the word with two "w's.
but, as the original old French West India
spelling is "papays." the insertion of the
first "w" is. perhaps. an unlicensed inno-
walton.
"rhe milky juices Of the papaw tree
have the wonderful property of rendering
tender the toughest meat IL STEPPED in the
liquid for ten minutes. and in the island of
Barbados it is the custom of natives to
prepare their meats and poultry for cook
ing by suspending them, to soften. In the
upper branches of the papaw tree. Yes.
the papaw. foreign or native, is an old
school fruit and should be cherished in the
affections of the true nature lover with the
persimmon. the wild grape. the wild crab
apple and the wild plum"