My son watched a YouTube video yesterday and asked me about pawpaws. I had to laugh. Here's what he needs to know, and probably what you do too.

Kentucky grows something that looks like Mother Nature accidentally shipped a tropical fruit to the wrong ZIP code. The pawpaw.

If you've never eaten one, you're entering the right time of year to fix that.

Kentucky pawpaws generally begin ripening in late August, with the season stretching into early fall depending on variety and location. Which means the hunt is about to begin.

And yes, I consider looking for food in the woods hunting. I have extremely liberal definitions when snacks are involved.

Pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to the United States. It grows on a small understory tree, Asimina triloba, and the fruit looks vaguely like somebody crossed a mango with a potato and then decided appearance wasn't important.

Inside is another story.

The flesh is soft and custardy, with flavors commonly compared to banana, mango and pineapple. Hence one of its better nicknames: the Kentucky banana.

Even better, Kentucky State University has the world's only full-time pawpaw research program, with more than 2,000 trees representing genetic material from 17 states. Apparently, America has a weird banana growing in the woods, and Kentucky responded: "We'll handle this."

Don't wait for a pawpaw to turn bright yellow. Many remain green when ripe. Treat it more like a peach. Give it a gentle squeeze.

Ripe fruit should soften slightly, develop a strong fruity aroma, and release fairly easily from the tree. Fresh fruit on the ground is another clue.

And don't eat the skin or seeds. You're after the soft flesh inside. Basically, if you've successfully eaten an avocado, you possess the necessary engineering degree.

Because pawpaws have terrible logistics. A fully ripe pawpaw may last only a few days at room temperature. Refrigeration extends that, but this isn't an apple capable of spending three months riding around America in the back of a truck before appearing at Kroger.

Which is probably a big reason something native and delicious remains strangely unfamiliar. Pawpaws aren't particularly interested in becoming a supermarket fruit. Frankly, I respect their lack of ambition.

Here's where this gets even more Kentucky. Kentucky State University has spent decades researching pawpaws. And this year, KSU and Ale-8-One collaborated on a seasonal pawpaw Ale-8.

Of course they did. Somebody looked at Kentucky's native tropical-tasting fruit and Kentucky's native ginger-based soft drink and decided those two weird cousins needed to meet at the family reunion.

I told my son the same thing I'm telling you. In another week or two, keep your eyes open in rich woods, creek bottoms, and shaded understory areas. Learn the leaves first. Find the patches. Then return as fruit begins ripening.

And when he finally eats one, he'll probably have the same reaction a lot of people do. Where the hell has this thing been?

Answer: probably fifty yards from him in the woods the whole time.