# Paw paw mead



## mcon672

We bottled our first mead yesterday. Got 24 bottles with a little extra (ran out of bottles). We started it last August. Turned out pretty good, to me at least. I don't really drink and probably couldn't tell the difference between a fine wine and Mad Dog. Anyway, going to make another batch but this time I want to make a melomel with paw paws. I love them. Has anyone ever used paw paw? Any advice?


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## BeeGora

I haven't seen a paw paw tree since I was a kid (and that was a long time ago). I bet most people now-days never heard of them.


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## Pooh Bear

I have a Paw-Paw tree at home that is bearing a lot of fruit this year. What is this melomel you speak of?


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## mcon672

Beegora: They dont know what they're missing! They grow everywhere around here. We harvest alot of edibles from the woods. Have you ever heard of anyone using them in mead or wine? I would love to try it, just looking for a little guidance.

Pooh Bear: I've never made it but want to. I'm looking for a recipe or info from someone who has used them in mead before. If find a recipe off site I will post it for you.


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## Tenbears

This is a general recipe I use, It is for a 1 gallon batch.. the K-met for up to 5 gallons would be increased to 1/4 tsp. not 1/8 tsp. per gallon. I also add K-met at each racking after the first as the sulfites are what preserve the mead or wine. Also if you back sweeten, you will want to add potassium sorbate. 

Pawpaw wine recipe
⦁	2-3 lbs ripe pawpaws 
⦁	2 lbs granulated sugar or 1 1/2 pounds honey
⦁	7 pts water 
⦁	1 tsp acid blend
⦁	1 tsp pectic enzyme 
⦁	1/2 tsp grape tannin 
⦁	1/8 tsp Potassium Metablisulphite (K-met)
⦁	1 tsp yeast nutrient 
⦁	wine yeast
⦁ Peel the fruit and cut into pieces. Put fruit in nylon straining bag, tie closed, and place bag in primary. Mash fruit in bag, disolve honey or sugar in warm water. Pour water over fruit. When room temperature, add all ingredients except yeast. Recover and set aside 24 hours. Add yeast. When the must is fermenting vigorously, stir twice daily gently squeezing bag for 7 days. Drain bag and squeeze gently to extract most juice and flavor, then transfer juice to secondary. Fit airlock and set aside for 1 month. Rack into sterilized secondary, add another 1/8 tsp K-met Or 1 finely campden tablet. Top up and refit airlock. Rack again after 3 months, top up and refit airlock. Check wine for clarity after additional 3 months. If wine has not cleared, fine with gelatin, wait two weeks, and rack into bottles. Age additional 6-12 months.


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## dsegrest

I have tried to plant paw-paw trees on several occasions. The only that lived became deer food.


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## mcon672

Ten Bears, thank you so much. I was hoping to hear from you on this one. Thanks for the recipe. I will try it as soon as the paw paws are ripe.


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## TWall

The biggest barrier to starting Paw paw trees from seed is letting the seed dry out. Seed should be planted right away.

Tom


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## mcon672

Got my paw paws today.


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## mcon672

Here's one cut open with seeds beside it for anyone who might not have seen one before. 

Found a couple of dinky two prongers while we were getting the paw paws, maybe in ten more years.


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## SAS

I hate to be the first to ask, but what is a "paw paw", and what does it taste like?


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## Pooh Bear

I was eating a paw-paw when I saw the update on this thread. Great fruit, tastes delicious. I can see why it's not commercially available as it does bruise incredibly easy.

Anyway. I think this weekend I will make the paw paw mead


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## biggraham610

I think they taste similar to a banana. only different, Ive, never collected them, just ate a few as i walked through the woods. we have creek bottoms loaded with them. Doesn't seem to have a heavy bounty yearly, but maybe I have just missed it. I will have to make it a point to walk the creek this weekend. G


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## Phoebee

I was about to say it and Graham beat me to it. Kinda like bananas.

My wife used to work in DC, and discovered pawpaws in a Smithsonian garden. They just let the fruit drop on the sidewalk, so she collected it. We ate some straight but she also used them in bread, using a banana bread recipe.

The fruit is very soft and can be eaten more or less like a pudding.

She saved the seeds and we're trying to grow them at our place in WV. Slow going so far. The seeds can be frozen and then planted, but she found that they may not germinate for a year after planting. She'd given up on several pots in which she had planted them, so planted something else. The following year, there were the pawpaw seedlings.


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## Tenbears

Rather than freeze Place them in a zip lock bag with a wet paper towel. leave them in the refrigerator over the winter. By spring they begin a root. Now here is the secret Plant them in the shade they will grow well and survive, After three years in the shade either clear around them so they get full sun, or transplant. They will grow good, and produce tons of fruit.


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## Riverderwent

Tenbears, because of some of your posts last year, I recently ordered three little bareroot saplings. I planted them about a week ago.


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## Tenbears

Riverderwent said:


> Tenbears, because of some of your posts last year, I recently ordered three little bareroot saplings. I planted them about a week ago.


 :thumbsup: I still have My last batch of Pawpaw brochetmol going I used so much fruit It is still cloudy as dish water. May have to add a bit of pectic enzyme to help it along. even though it has several months before it will truly be ready I am getting impatient. 

How old were the whips? did you see my post about the shade for the first 3 years?


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## Ravenseye

Tenbears said:


> :thumbsup: I still have My last batch of Pawpaw brochetmol going I used so much fruit It is still cloudy as dish water. May have to add a bit of pectic enzyme to help it along. even though it has several months before it will truly be ready I am getting impatient.
> 
> How old were the whips? did you see my post about the shade for the first 3 years?


Which prompts a quick question about pectic enzyme. Can it be used after fermentation? I thought I read somewhere that it was best to use at the beginning. Maybe I have my recollections backwards.....


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## Tenbears

Ravenseye said:


> Which prompts a quick question about pectic enzyme. Can it be used after fermentation? I thought I read somewhere that it was best to use at the beginning. Maybe I have my recollections backwards.....


 You are correct it is best used in the beginning, However when pectin remains in a finished mead/wine it leaves what is known as a pectin haze. adding pectic enzyme will take the haze out and clear the mead in days. I have had it happen overnight Literally. The in question mead has been standing still for nearly 3 months and is still cloudy. It may not be all pectin, However the excess pectin in the mead aids in suspending particles resulting in slower clearing. Pectic enzyme doe not damage the mead so if it does not clear soon I will use it to hasten the clearing process. I do not like to add Finning agents as most of them are Clay based. Although I realize they settle out something just bothers me about putting Dirt in my meads!


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## Ravenseye

Thanks. That first mead I made with all the berries has been racked twice and is quite cloudy. For giggles, I ran a 1/2 cup through a coffee filter and it gummed up right away with the sediment having a jelly like consistency. I can certainly wait but maybe I'll try the enzyme as I get closer to bottling.


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## Riverderwent

Tenbears said:


> How old were the whips? did you see my post about the shade for the first 3 years?


They are about 33" tall. Maybe two years old? I did see your post. Right now they are in a large garden pot with our herbs so that I can keep my options open.


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## BadBeeKeeper

http://www.wineskills.co.uk/winemaking/winemaking-knowledge-base/fining-agents


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## Ravenseye

BadBeeKeeper said:


> http://www.wineskills.co.uk/winemaking/winemaking-knowledge-base/fining-agents


Nice link. Thanks!


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## Tenbears

Double post


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## Tenbears

Ravenseye said:


> Thanks. That first mead I made with all the berries has been racked twice and is quite cloudy. For giggles, I ran a 1/2 cup through a coffee filter and it gummed up right away with the sediment having a jelly like consistency. I can certainly wait but maybe I'll try the enzyme as I get closer to bottling.


If it is pectin causing the haze you will wait a long time for it to clear. Could be years! pectin neither evaporates or settles, I would say that if the solids are Jellylike I would say there is a strong possibility it is pectin.


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## BadBeeKeeper

Ravenseye said:


> Nice link. Thanks!


I typically use Irish Moss:

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/take-the-luck-out-of-clear-beer-with-irish-moss/

But then, I also heat the must and "skim the scum" as in a very old recipe from the middle ages or so...not necessarily recommended for a pure mead but I tend to make fruited/spiced meads, which is going to cover the flavor of the honey somewhat anyway. Someone going for a pure mead with nothing but honey, particularly with a varietal honey, may want to avoid any process such as heating that might compromise the flavor.

Don't use Irish Moss if you aren't boiling.


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## Ravenseye

BadBeeKeeper said:


> Don't use Irish Moss if you aren't boiling.


Why?


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## BadBeeKeeper

Ravenseye said:


> Why?


It has a negative electrostatic charge, the idea is to have it bind with the positively charged proteins in the kettle to form the 'hot break' and take them out of suspension before they ever reach the fermenter.

I'm not sure if it would do anything cold...but then, I've never actually experimented with using it that way...


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