Foragers comb a forest in Maryland to look for the prized pawpaw - a fruit native to the United States, but unknown to many Americans. "It's delicious. It tastes like a cross between a mango and a banana," describes Niraj Ray, who leads foraging walks near Washington, D.C. every September when the fruit is in season. "You won't find them in grocery stores because they don't look very appealing," the pawpaw enthusiast says to explain why the fragile fruit is not commonly known. The only way to collect pawpaws : wait for the fruit to fall on the ground or shake its tree to let the ripe fruits fall. "I'm going to try to make them into like a custard or an ice cream," says Karla Renschler, as she tries a pawpaw for the first time after searching for them for eight years. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES