pawpaw

Missouri has a tropical fruit of its very own: the pawpaw. Although this Midwest native is getting more popular, you're unlikely to find them in a grocery store yet. Plus: While corn and soybeans dominate the Midwestern landscape today, some farmers are integrating strips of native prairie back into their fields.

Even as the tropical-tasting fruit gains popularity through farmer's markets and festivals, the pawpaw faces big hurdles to reaching a mass market.