Rose Robson always follows this rule: If a crop crosses her path more than once, she investigates. This is how the fourth-generation farmer discovered pawpaws, a greenish tree fruit that has tropical notes of banana, mango and citrus. First, they came up in a Rutgers organic agriculture class she was visiting. Then she read about them in Modern Farmer. Within a year, Robson had a grove of 90 trees in Wrightstown, which she tends along with flowers, field crops and peaches. Noting the pawpaw’s value as a fresh fruit and in baked goods, Robson also envisions a Jersey-pawpaw beer. An innovator with a knack for social media, she’s a pragmatist who looks for market opportunities. In other words, she’s a farmer.
Cover photo by Jenn Hall
Jenn Hall 