All About: Pears

Varieties Handling Pears Tips Substitution Nutrition

Pears are one of the most diverse fruits in the world. Their shapes range from round to bell shaped; their colors range from light gold to brown or very light green to dark green to red. Their flavors range from spicy to tart to very sweet. These many variations might just be due to the fact that there have been over 15,000 species of pears developed since they were first cultivated around 2000 B.C. in Asia.

The pear first made its way to America in the seventeenth century. Jesuit missionaries brought them to the Colonies, English settlers to Massachusetts, and the Dutch to New Amsterdam. Spanish missionaries cultivated pears in the West.

Varieties

The Pacific Northwestern states—Oregon and Washington—produce most of the nation's pears. The most popular varieties are:

Anjou — These pears have a mildly spicy, sweet flavor, are juicy, and are very good in salads. They are available September to June.

Bartletts — Bartlett pears have a superb sweet flavor and are juicy. They are available August through December.

Bosc — The flesh of these pears is tender, but still crunchy with a sweet creamy flavor. They are available September to April.

Comice — These pears are juicy and sweet; they sometimes have a reddish blush on the skins. Comice pears are available September through March.

Forelle — Forelle pears are sweet and juicy with freckles on the skin when ripe. They are available September to March.

Seckl — The smallest of the Northwest pears has a spicy and sweet aromatic flavor. Seckel pears are available September through February.

Pears are one of the few fruits that do not ripen well on the tree, so they are harvested when they reach full maturity but before they are ripe. Choose pears that are free of blemishes, cuts, bruises, or soft spots. They should be firm, but not hard.

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Handling Pears

Store unripe pears at room temperature, or to speed ripen, place them in a paper bag, close the top, and let them stand at room temperature. Pears are ripe when they are still firm and yield to gentle thumb pressure near the base of the stem. Once they are ripe, store pears in the refrigerator.

To poach, core and peel the pear and cut in half if desired. For 4-6 pears, combine 2 cups of water and 3/4 cup of sugar in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pears and adjust the heat so that the liquid is just barely simmering. Poach the pears until just done, about 10 minutes. Allow the pears to cool in the liquid.

To roast, heat the oven to 350° F. Wash and core the pears. Cut a small slice off the bottom of each pear and stand upright on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with Crisco No-Stick Cooking Spray. Brush each pear with a little Crisco No-Stick Cooking Spray and roast until just done, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Tips

• To keep cut pears from discoloring, dip them in acidulated water (about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice for each quart of cold water).
• To slice into wedges, an apple slicer works very well.

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Substitution

If fresh pears are not available, use canned, frozen, or dried.

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Nutrition

Pears have no fat, cholesterol, or sodium; are high in fiber; are a good source of potassium and vitamin C; and have about 100 calories per medium pear.

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Fruits

ApplesApricotsBananasBlueberriesCherriesCranberriesGrapesMangoesPapayaPeachesPearsPersimmonsPineapplesPomegranatesPumpkinsStrawberriesTomatoesWatermelon