Author: Jen Moreth

Kids are welcome at Arbor Aid and Pawpaw Fest!

Kids are welcome at this year’s Arbor Aid and Pittsburgh’s first ever Pawpaw Fest Saturday, September 23 at Carrie Furnaces! Arbor Aid and Pawpaw Fest is a family-friendly, all day music festival celebrating trees, music, and the pawpaw. We’ll have plenty of activities to keep kids and families engaged all day long.

All children activities appeal to a variety of ages and activity levels. Relax and gather around for one of our multiple story times featuring an appearance from Tree Pittsburgh’s new mascot, Oaklee the Squirrel! Visit the Kid Zone for pawpaw tastings and to learn more about America’s largest native edible fruit. Kids can even design their own pawpaw pet rock and participate in pawpaw-themed games like pawpaw beanbag toss.

The Kid Zone will feature other crafts and activities including leaf art rubbings, building a bug box or rain gauge, and more. Be sure to stop by the ALCOSAN family tent and other vendors for more family-friendly activities.

There will be more than one type of kid at Arbor Aid and Pawpaw Fest…goats from Allegheny GoatScape will be there! Get it? Kids? Okay, sorry about that pun. But really, children and adults will have the opportunity to pet the goats and learn more about how these grazers reduce invasive and unwanted vegetation.

After a long day of dancing and activities, your little ones will be sure to work up an appetite! A variety of food and drinks such as pawpaw ice cream and pawpaw popsicles are available to purchase.

Be sure to visit Arbor Aid 2017 and follow Tree Pittsburgh on Facebook, as well as the Arbor Aid and Pawpaw Fest event page for more information and updates.

Music festival madness: learn more about the bands performing at Arbor Aid!

Saturday September 23^rd at Carrie Furnaces, Tree Pittsburgh is hosting our annual Arbor Aid and Pittsburgh’s first ever Pawpaw Festival, a family friendly all day music festival celebrating trees, music, and pawpaw.

The lineup will feature amazing bands from a variety of genres. Learn more about some of these fantastic bands before you jam out!

Kids

Kids is an eclectic four piece American Indie Rock band formed in 2012 by Guitarist Josiah Sampson, Bassist/Vocalist Joshua Diaz, Drummer Matthew Barrios and Guitarist Christian Gonzalez. Hailing from South Florida, Kids strives to deliver a dynamic musical experience. Founded on brotherhood; these four individuals unite their creative minds to bring you on a melodic adventure with hopes of finding adolescence into undiscovered worlds. After the 2013 release of their EP, Sink or Swim, created an energetic and passionate fan base, Kids wanted to bring their fans, new and old, an inspired treat. They retreated to the mountains of Chattanooga TN and submerged themselves in nature in order to gain inspiration, so that their fans could experience a dream-like escape just by listening to their music. Eliciting emotion and feeling.

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Twitter

Lyndsey Smith and Soul Distribution

Lyndsey Smith & Soul Distribution have been bringing music to the souls of music lovers for the past 6 years and have been gaining loyal fans on a regional, national and international level. LSSD’s Rock’N’Soul style gives their shows high energy and they know that their fans aren’t just there as a formality, they are there as part of the show! LSSD is raising the bar as to what music should be and how an album and concert should make each fan feel.

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Twitter

Byron Nash and Plan B

With a deep-rooted history in Pittsburgh’s music scene, guitarist Byron Nash has been around for quite some time, building a reputation for his unique style of rock n’ soul guitar playing. Evident in that sound are the various genres of music that have influenced his life, including: early thrash metal, jam, funk and soul, to Hip-Hop, jazz, blues and world music. Having played in prior bands, SPORADIC and Formula412, Nash had other ideas and styles he wanted to try and express leading him to starting his new band BYRON NASH & PLAN B. The new group is the melting pot of all of Nash’s former experiences and musical styles.

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Twitter

Melinda

From an old steel mill city once described as “hell with the lid off” comes a singer/songwriter with red-hot fire in her soul. Melinda is her name, and this Pittsburgh-born artist could well be described as the belle of blues-infused rock. She’s been raising roofs for years, from Boston to Los Angeles, with her four alarm voice and earthy stage presence. No gimmicks, no girl-pop. Just full-tilt rock and roll.

Social Media: Website, Facebook, Twitter

Check out our other performers!

Same

City Dwelling Nature Seekers

The Turpentiners

Timbeleza

Colonel Eagleburger’s Highstepping Good Time Band

Be sure to visit Arbor Aid 2017 and follow Tree Pittsburgh on Facebook, as well as the Arbor Aid and Pawpaw Fest event page for more information and updates.

Cooking with pawpaws: recipes and more!

During late summer, the pawpaw is harvested for their sweet custard-like texture and unique flavor, many describing it as a cross between a mango and a banana. With such a sweet and distinct flavor, this fruit is perfect for a variety of recipes! Their sweet fruity flavor is used to make desserts like pies, ice creams, preserves, and custards. When paired with other seasonings and oils, pawpaws are an excellent ingredient for marinades, vinaigrettes, and barbecue sauces.

Enjoy the the fruit by itself or try making one of these easy recipes below. Be sure to tag Tree Pittsburgh on Facebook to share your favorite creations and recipes!

Before cooking, make sure your pawpaw is ripe. A ripe fruit is soft to the touch, much like a peach. The smooth and creamy purée-like texture makes it easy to separate from the seed.

Pawpaw Barbeque Sauce

Source: Joyce Pinson, Friends Drift Inn (also image source)

Yield: 1 quart

Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup sorghum
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
4 fresh paw paws peeled and deseeded
1 cup of brown sugar, packed
1 sweet onion minced
1 teaspoon crushed cayenne pepper flakes

Instructions

In a heavy saucepan combine all ingredients
Mix with an immersion blender (boat motor) until smooth
Bring to boil, stirring constantly
Reduce heat to simmer, and cook down for about 30 minutes until medium thick constancy

Pawpaw Bread

Source: Kentucky State University

Yield: 1 loaf

Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

1 cup pawpaw puree
1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1¾ cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, and beat until fluffy
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
Beat in pawpaw puree
Sift together remaining dry ingredients and add in four portions, beating smooth each time
Pour batter into a greased, floured loaf pan (8x4x3-inches) and bake in a moderate oven (350^oF) for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean
Cool on rack before slicing, serve slices buttered or with cream cheese.

Note: To vary this recipe, add 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1/2 cup candied orange peel

Pawpaw Preserves

Source: Kentucky State University

Ingredients

12 pawpaws (about 5 lbs.)
2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 lemon
1 orange

Instructions

Peel pawpaws
Put in kettle with water, without removing seeds. Boil until soft, then put through a sieve
Add sugar and juice of orange and lemon. Boil until thick. Grated rind of orange or lemon may be added
Put in sterilized jars and seal

Want to learn more about this native fruit? Check out Tree Pittsburgh’s Pawpaw Fest—introducing pawpaws to dinner tables once again and come to Tree Pittsburgh’s Arbor Aid and Pawpaw Fest to experience the magnificent pawpaw for yourself! There will be a variety of pawpaw related speakers, food, games, and products for everyone to enjoy.

Be sure to visit Arbor Aid 2017 and follow Tree Pittsburgh on Facebook, as well as the Arbor Aid and Pawpaw Fest event page for more information and updates.

pawpaw pawpaw fest

2017 Arbor Day Seedling Giveaway– see where each seedling went!

Arbor Day is rich in history and dates back to the 1800s. A Nebraska journalist and politician, Julius Sterling Morton, was an advocate for trees and realized the benefits that wide-scale tree planting had to the economy. Once Morton became a member of Nebraska’s state board of agriculture, he proposed a day to be set aside to encourage tree planting and increase tree awareness. This act created the first American Arbor Day. On April 10, 1972 Nebraska planted more than ONE MILLION trees—leading to a successful first American Arbor Day.

Nowadays, Arbor Day is observed and celebrated all over the world, continuing to encourage tree planting and tree awareness. Different states celebrate Arbor Day at different times throughout the year depending on the opportune time to plant trees in their climate. Pennsylvania celebrates Arbor Day on the last Friday in April.

To celebrate Morton’s vision and Arbor Day, on April 28th Tree Pittsburgh in partnership with the Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission hosted a tree seedling giveaway in Market Square where over 700 tree seedlings were distributed to participants from Allegheny County and neighboring states like Ohio, New York, Maryland, and New Jersey!

Species of seedlings at the giveaway included: yellow birch, sweetgum, sweetbay magnolia, blackgum, redbud, Chinese quince, pawpaw, arborvitae, and white oak. Once these seedlings are planted, they will contribute to tree diversity in urban forests, remove air toxins, provide homes and food for wildlife, decrease temperatures caused from the urban heat island effect, provide shade, reduce water runoff, and so much more! You can learn more about the benefits of trees in the resources section of our website.

Thank you to all who participated! If you received a tree, post a picture of its growth on the Arbor Day Seedling Giveaway event page and be sure to follow Tree Pittsburgh on Facebook or check out our events calendar for information on future tree giveaways.