Welcome, September. It's PawPaw time at BlackTree Studio Pottery

I should be in the Studio making pots for our upcoming show in Peoria, Illinois, at the end of September, but instead, I'm outside hunting for the fruit of the PawPaw tree. 

These trees, native to North America, grow wild all over our five acres. I can smell the intense, sweet, thick smell of the ripe pawpaw fruit hanging from branches or fallen to the ground where ants devour the custard-like flesh. The flavor of pawpaw fruit is often compared to bananas but with hints of mango, vanilla, and citrus. 

We could have named ourselves after these trees—PawPaw Pottery—instead of our black walnut trees, the namesake of BlackTree Studio Pottery. But my fascination with the pawpaw is seasonal, while our towering black walnut trees, which surround the Studio, inspire me year-round.