PawPaw staple in early Australian Settler Gardens

Description

I wanted to paint the paw paw, as I grew up with this fruit and picked it from trees in our backyard and remember my mother cutting it up for meals.

The pawpaw or papaya has two distinct cultural histories. In North America, it refers to a native, custard-like woodland fruit.  Spanish explorers observed Native Americans cultivating pawpaws in the Mississippi Valley as early as 1541.  Later, the prized pawpaw sustained Lewis and Clark’s expedition when supplies ran low. Today, US communities, especially Ohio and Maryland, have pawpaw festivals to celebrate their heritage and promote modern cultivation (www.projectpawpaw.com).  In many cultures, pawpaw is considered the “fruit of the angels’ for its flavour and versatility (www.savoursoilpermaculture.com). The second cultural history in Australia shows that pawpaw is deeply woven into the identity of tropical and sub-tropical Queensland, including Yeppoon and broader Central Queensland regions, as a staple in early Australian settler gardens.  Pawpaws are widely used in green pawpaw salads or enjoyed ripe. The pawpaw has healing traditions renowned in Australian folk medicine, being used as a tropical ointment (www.queenslandplaces.com.au).