The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook by Sara Bir
Pawpaws are found in the fleeting, honeyed weeks between August and October. They are fleshy and awkward to eat, sweetly fragrant, and they do not travel well at all. But they were once a favorite of Native Americans, and George Washington presumably loved them for dessert. Today, they are beloved by foragers, keepers of regional food traditions, and anyone seeking relief from the industrial food chain.
In The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Sara Bir sets the humble pawpaw center stage, with detailed information on how to harvest, source, store, and―of course―cook with these uniquely midwestern delicacies. Here you'll find recipes for:
- pawpaw cornbread
- pawpaw pudding
- key lime pawpaw cheesecake
- banana-pawpaw ketchup
Sidebars address questions as varied as "Where can I buy frozen pawpaws?" and "How do I use pawpaw in a cocktail?" Written with humor and love for a curious subject, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook will inspire you to experiment in the kitchen and get out into the woods. With an introduction by Alexis Nikole Nelson, TikTok star @blackforager.
About the Author
Sara Bir is a chef, writer, and plant nerd who aims to get people outside and looking at their everyday surroundings in a completely new way. Her book The Fruit Forager's Companion (Chelsea Green, 2018) won the 2019 Reference and Technical Cookbook Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she teaches classes for home cooks and her writing has been featured in Saveur, Lucky Peach, Serious Eats, Modern Farmer, Best Food Writing 2014, and two Full Grown People anthologies. She enjoys plantspotting around her neighborhood in Marietta, Ohio, and skates with her local roller derby team as Carrion the Librarian.
Product Specifications
Published by Belt Publishing, 2021. Paperback, 126 pages.
