At the Horn Farm Center in York County, nature isn’t just scenery — it’s the classroom, the kitchen, and the community. This September, the nonprofit is preparing for its 21st annual Pawpaw Festival, a celebration of one of North America’s best-kept fruit secrets.

The star of the event? The pawpaw — a creamy, tropical-tasting fruit native to the eastern United States that many have never heard of, let alone tasted. “The pawpaw is North America’s largest edible native fruit,” said Andrew Leahy, education and outreach specialist at the Horn Farm Center. “It looks a bit like a small mango and tastes like a mix between pineapple, mango, and banana.”

Though pawpaws grow wild in the Susquehanna Riverlands region, you won’t find them in the grocery store. “They have a really short shelf life,” Leahy explained. “Once they’re ripe, without refrigeration, you have about two days. Even with refrigeration, maybe a week or so. They really resist everything grocery stores need.”

The Horn Farm’s annual festival has become a destination for locals and regional pawpaw enthusiasts alike, drawing thousands to taste the fruit and experience the land. “The festival actually started in 2004 as a small gathering through the local Slow Food Movement,” said Leahy. “By 2013, the Horn Farm became the host site after one of the founders planted a pawpaw orchard on the property. Now we’re up to over 50 trees.”