Six years of cultivating pawpaw trees culminated in a new addition to Weston’s fall calendar Sept. 25-26 as the inaugural Missouri Pawpaw Festival brought together residents and visitors for food, live music, vendors and an introduction to one of North America’s most unusual native fruits.
Asimina triloba, commonly known as the pawpaw, is a small understory tree native to much of the eastern and Midwestern United States. It produces the largest edible fruit native to North America. The fruit has a soft, custardlike texture and a tropical flavor often compared to banana, mango and pineapple.
Pawpaws are rarely found in grocery stores because the ripe fruit bruises easily and has a short shelf life.
Weston Brewing Co. co-owner Corey Weinfurt helped organize the festival, which grew out of a six-year effort to cultivate pawpaw trees in Weston.
“We realized that they were naturally growing here, usually without any fruit on them,” Weinfurt said. “Once we learned about it, we started grafting and planting new trees.”
Those efforts eventually produced enough fruit to support the first festival, celebrating both the native plant and the long-term investment required to cultivate it.
The festivities began Friday with a Pawpaw Festival kickoff and welcome dinner at O’Malley’s Upper Pub. The dinner featured several pawpaw-inspired dishes, including pawpaw salsa and chips. Guests chose between pawpaw-glazed chicken with golden potatoes or pawpaw-glazed meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Both entrees were served with pawpaw-glazed carrots, followed by pawpaw cheesecake for dessert.
The evening also featured Irish folk music and storytelling by Bob Reeder.
Saturday gave visitors an opportunity to sample pawpaw foods and products, visit vendors and learn more about the fruit while enjoying live music in the park and amphitheater adjacent to O’Malley’s.
“It’s something I’ve always been curious about,” Elizabeth Fritzl-Muich said. “I remember hearing about pawpaws and learning about them years ago, so I wanted to come out and see what the festival was all about and finally try some of the different things made from them.”
For Carol Douglas, the festival brought back childhood memories.
“I remember singing ‘Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch’ with my grandparents when I was four or five years old,” Douglas said. “That was more than 60 years ago, and I’d never actually eaten a pawpaw before. It was fun to finally come here and experience it. The food was amazing.”
Saturday’s outdoor music lineup included Johnny Gleason, Connie Dover, Mason Brown and The Swallowtails. Ryan Rancudo, Bob Reeder and Danny McGaw performed on O’Malley’s indoor stages.
The festival combined food, music and vendors with an opportunity to experience a native fruit many visitors had known only by name. Its debut added another distinctive community gathering to Weston’s fall calendar.
