Food

Food Information

Fruit

Deciduous

PEARS

The pear, a member of the rose family, like the apple and the quince, is believed to have originated in the foothills of Northern India and Afghanistan. They don't thrive in areas where the summers are too warm or the winters too cold, but are now grown in all parts of the world that have climates similar to that of their mid-Asian origin.

Our West Coast has the ideal climate and altitude for growing pears. California produces more than 50 percent of our huge domestic tonnage. The combination of California, Washington, and Oregon accounts for more than 90 percent of our total crop. A fair amount of Bartlett and Bosc pears are produced in New York State and Michigan, but the yield from these areas can't match that of the West Coast in size, appearance, and flavor. Most eastern pears are sold locally and used for home canning. Until just prior to World War II, domestic pears were in season from mid-July to mid-May and out of season during the late spring and early summer. Today that slack is more than adequately taken up by imports from the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa), and fine pears are available twelve months of the year. Some varieties, which due to their longevity were popular prior to the availability of imports, have now been phased out.

Pears, like apples, must be harvested while they are firm, long before they reach full maturity. Unlike peaches or mangoes, which are at their flavor best when are allowed to tree-ripen, a tree-ripe pear will eat soft and mushy.

While countless varieties of pears exist, only about a handful are now grown commercially on a large scale. The top domestic varieties in order of volume, not necessarily of flavor, are the Bartletts, Anjous, Bosc, Comice, and Seckels. The imports from Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa are mainly of the Bosc variety and Packham Triumph variety, which resembles our Bartlett. The domestic Forelle pears have only a minimal share of the market. The Winter Nelis, Easter Buerres, and Keiffer pears are no longer grown in commercial quantity.

All varieties of pears should be purchased while still firm and allowed three or four days to ripen at room temperature. When they have almost reached full maturity (the Bartletts will have attained a pale yellow color; the Comice, Anjous, and Seckels will have a slight yield to gentle pressure, and the Bosc will have attained a milk-chocolate brown color but will still be very firm), put the pears in the refrigerator. Remember that a not quite ripe pear may be further ripened, but an overripe pear has passed the point of no return.

WHEN TO BUY: Available year-round
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Firm, not bruised fruit
HOW TO STORE: Ripen at room temperature; refrigerate when ready to eat


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