• This book is a complete in-depth manual on growing pawpaw trees for small scale commercial growers
• Differs from other books on Pawpaws because it is a guide to commercial growing and marketing
• Author is the co-owner and operator of Peaceful Heritage Nursery, a USDA Certified Organic research farm and orchard.
• He has 20 years' experience in organic agriculture, botany, and horticulture.
• He has over a decade working directly with fruit trees, focusing on Pawpaw trees, and has worked in communities across the US.
• He speaks widely on the topic of growing pawpaws and has instructional videos on YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnygpIzwUJk
• Pawpaws are the next hot item on the organic fruit scene.
• Called the hipster banana and the Indiana banana, pawpaws are a native North American fruit rapidly growing in renown and popularity.
• It is a low-input, easy-to-grow, highly marketable fruit.
• Pawpaws grow in southern Ontario and areas of BC.
• Covers their botany, cultural history, wild pawpaws, how to grow them organically; how to process, market, and sell the fruit successfully
• Comprehensive disease and pest management information
• Includes cultivar catalogue with over 50 cultivars described
• Illustrated with 40 beautiful photographs

Audience: gourmet chefs, vegans and raw foodies, exotic fruit enthusiasts, organic farmers, gardeners, fruit growers

Blake Cothron is an organic farmer, nurseryman, musician, poet, writer, educator, scientist, devotee, and mystic, with over 20 years' experience in organic agriculture, botany, horticulture, and growing food. Blake owns and operates Heritage Nursery, a 4-acre USDA Certified Organic research farm, orchard, and edible plant nursery, with a special interest in pawpaws. He shares his two decades of experience in organic agriculture and horticulture through magazine articles, including in Permaculture Design, online publications, public speaking engagements, and blogging. Blake is also a speaker and educator for OAK (Organic Association of Kentucky), an educational blogger at peacefulheritage.com, and a YouTuber. He splits his time between farming, research, gardening, travel, yoga, meditation, and being a husband and father. He lives with his wife and son in beautiful Kentucky.

"Blake Cothron's book makes a much-needed contribution to the pursuit of pawpaw culture. It seems that interest in pawpaws has ex- ploded beyond my imagination since the year 1976 when I undertook my quest to bring pawpaws out of the shadows of the forest and into the sunlight of gardens and orchards. This enthusiasm is a good thing, and it now requires answers to the many questions that naturally arise for those new to pawpaws. And since pawpaws are a new crop, there are many questions that orchardists and hobbyists have that Blake expertly addresses. The future will hold more questions and definitely the need for more breeding— an opportunity for the patient and educated amateur."
— R. Neal Peterson, founder, Peterson Pawpaws, agricultural economist, USDA Economic Research Service

"Planting a single pawpaw is a re-evolutionary act. Mixed use forests once blanketed us. Acorns, chestnuts, pawpaws, and their regional equivalents were the princes of that realm. With this valuable book, you can pawpaw your own food forests, restoring the diversity, abun- dance, and climate we all need."
— Albert Bates, permaculture instructor, ecovillage designer, author, The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change

"Blake Cothron is an authority on pawpaws and provides a clear, detailed guide for commercial success in growing this "oddly appealing species" (his own words). The supply of this exotic, trending, easy-to-grow fruit has not yet met the demand. Blake shares the wealth of his knowledge, including challenges— and when he doesn't know, he says so (it's probable that others don't know either)."
— Pam Dawling, author, The Year-Round Hoophouse and Sustainable Market Farming

"My own fascination with pawpaws began nearly 40 years ago with a visit to pawpaw breeder Tom Mansell's Paw Paw Haven near Pittsburgh PA. Mr. Mansell's food forest landscape had twenty-two varieties of pawpaws at one point. Eventually I discovered my own secret patch. Each September for the past twenty-five years I have waded through tall weeds, navigated a swampy stream bed, and traversed a small woodlot to harvest a few dozen complexly flavored fruits from my secret patch. These I share with friends and family and introduce new people to this uncommon seasonal delight. The pawpaw's revival is long overdue. Blake Cothron's Pawpaws will help bring about the day when fragrant fruit is no longer a rare treat, but a regular part of our seasonal diet."
— Darrell E. Frey, Three Sisters Farm, author, Bioshelter Market Garden, co-author, The Food Forest Handbook