They say fruit is nature’s candy. But what about a fruit that’s only ripe for a week or two out of the year and can’t even be purchased at the store? That’s pawpaw, a local delicacy that’s so rare, it’s almost a collector’s item.

Pawpaw has been called the largest indigenous fruit from North America, but because it’s so perishable, it’s not widely cultivated or farmed (or even heard about outside of the Midwest). It grows naturally across much of Eastern North America, and has been consumed by Native Americans for centuries, says Long Island pawpaw enthusiast Beverly Vlcek. She’s one of the handful of people, mostly on the East End, who happen to have pawpaw trees on their properties. When the fruit ripens for about two weeks at the end of September, she gathers between 100 and 200 pieces

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