In 2003 we purchased a small 3.25 acre property in Mocksville, North Carolina. Having Lee Reich's book in hand "Unusual Fruits for Every Garden" we began a fruit species test plot to determine which fruit trees did best in our area. Being the son of a forester, I loved the careful stewardship of the land. In our family tradition we believe land is a gift from God that is to be tended in lifelong stewardship. Using simple and traditional methods we slowly prepared the hard clay here into soft plantable rich soil. We then planted a few blueberry bushes. To that we added peaches, cherries, apples. Before long we were planting Jujubes, figs from around the world, Pecans, Walnut trees, Asian pears, grapes, plums, and mulberries. In the Spring of 2005 we stumbled across a wild non-bearing Pawpaw patch growing just 50 feet from the back of our home. We researched pawpaws and found that a great deal of recent work had been done in the selective breeding of this tree species by Neal Peterson. Arguably one of the most practical and knowledgeable in selectively breeding and providing the best of this species, we bought a few of Neal's carefully selected Pawpaw trees. In a few short years the trees began to produce the most amazing, large, and succulent fruit we had ever tasted. So, Peterson pawpaws quickly became our passion. We have a growing orchard of 4 varieties that produce about 250 lbs yearly. Soon we will have 90+ trees if planting goes as scheduled. This will produce 900-1200 lbs of premium quality fruit yearly. If you love this fruit as much as we do, send us a quick note and let us know your thoughts at:[email protected].