This year, Ohio’s pawpaw harvest is arriving earlier than ever, and the fruit is reportedly tasting more bitter than usual. Experts suspect that climate change, marked by prolonged drought and shifting weather patterns, could be the culprit.

The pawpaw, comparable in size to an avocado, boasts a flavor that lies somewhere between mango and banana. Often enjoyed fresh or as a creamy ice cream treat, it is the largest edible fruit native to North America, thriving primarily in the eastern United States from Ontario down to Florida. Ohio, a state renowned for its appreciation of pawpaws, hosts an annual festival to honor this distinctive fruit.

However, farmers in Ohio and neighboring Kentucky are experiencing noticeable changes this season. Valerie Libbey, a pawpaw farmer with 100 trees located just an hour away from Columbus in Washington Court House, shared her observations: “The fruit that usually ripens around mid-September started dropping to the ground in the first week of August this year.”

She recalled, “As I entered the orchard for my regular irrigation routine, I was immediately greeted by the scent of ripe pawpaws.” This year’s harvest season feels markedly shorter, with the fruits smaller and more bitter than in past years. Libbey attributes these changes to the intense heat and drought conditions that have persisted in the region for three consecutive years. She is uncertain if these issues are solely due to drought or if extreme climatic events are affecting the fruit trees as well.

“With extreme weather events, we’re all bracing for surprises. Last spring, we had some cold snaps that killed off the flowers, and now we’re coping with drought,” she explained, reflecting on a recent government report that warned about the significant risks of extreme drought and flooding for agriculture in the Midwest.

Kirk Pomper, a horticulture professor at Kentucky State University, has also noticed dramatic changes in local weather patterns. “It’s very evident,” he remarked, highlighting that one clear sign of these shifts is the earlier blooming of pawpaw blossoms compared to previous years.

Over in Albany, about an hour and a half southeast of Columbus, Chris Chmiel runs a small farm that once boasted several hundred pawpaw trees. Unfortunately, due to excessive rainfall in the springs of 2018 and 2019, followed by extreme drought, his operation has dwindled to around 100 trees. Most losses involved older trees that couldn’t cope with the stresses of changing climate, which led to ethanol production that attracted detrimental beetle infestations.

Chmiel remains hopeful that the remaining trees, having withstood various climatic conditions, will prove to be more resilient as they face ongoing weather challenges and the looming threat of invasive species.