Integration Acres

Last summer we had the pleasure of getting to visit Integration Acres , where we source our spicebush berries, up in Albany, Ohio. Where owner, Chris Chmiel, showed us around the farm and forest.

Integration Acres is a diversified farm in southeastern Ohio that to this day is one of the largest processors of native pawpaw fruit anywhere. You can purchase pawpaw products directly on their website. They have everything from frozen pawpaws, to pawpaw spicebush jelly, pawpaw soap, to pawpaw trees for sale. They also sell black walnuts, ramps, and wild, native spicebush berries...which is the main ingredient that we mainly source from Chris: green and red spicebush berries! 

Spicebush berries are one of my favorite wild edible spices! The berries, leaves, and twigs are used for a wide variety of culinary uses including spice blends and teas. The flavor of the red berries is similar to allspice.

Want to understand the differences between green (immature), and red (mature) spicebush berries? Explore the post where we go into the culinary differences between the two berries.

Let's talk about pawpaws for just a moment...

Not familiar with Pawpaws? Learn more about this incredible native fruit tree. (Did you know that pawpaws are the largest native fruit to North America?)

In 1999 Chris actually co-founded the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, While we were visiting, he showed us a behind the scenes look at the future Pawpaw Museum.  Let's take a sneak peek behind closed doors...

There was a drought when we were there, so the leaves are a bit yellow, but this is the edge of the Integration Acres pawpaw grove.