Pear
Anjou (Beurre d’Anjou)
Favorite European winter eating pear a century ago. Large, conical, short necked fruit remains light green when ripe with slight brown russeting. Mild, fine textured, melting, white flesh with a delicate aroma. Develops best quality after two months in cold storage. Keeps until late spring. Large tree is vigorous, hardy, very productive and an early bearer. Requires a pollinator. Plant with Bosc or Bartlett. Good pollinator for Bartlett. Moderately resistant to fir blight. More cold tolerant than Bartlett. Ripens in late September. 700-800 chill hours. Zones 5-8. Originated in France prior to 1800.
Bartlett
Standard for pears. Represents 75% of all U.S. and Canadian production. Large, golden yellow fruit blushed with brownish red. Classic shape. Smooth, juicy, white flesh with a pleasant touch of tartness. Good for fresh eating, canning or preserves. Ripens off the tree for a few weeks to develop famous, musky flavour. Keeps for three months. Medium size, compact, upright tree is ideal for dense plantings. Bears early. Long lived, vigorous and highly productive. Self fruitful in the arid west. Needs Pollination elsewhere. Susceptible to fire blight. Ripens from mid August to mid September. 800 Chill hours. Zones 5-8. Introduced from England in 1797.
Bosc
Medium to large, dark yellow fruit with brownish russeted skin and long goud shaped neck. Tender, aromatic, juicy, smooth textured, white flesh. Rich slightly acidic flavour. Fine for eating, baking and drying. Keeps six moths. Ripens better at room temperature than in cold storage. Ready to eat when russet bronze. Large and reliable. Somewhat difficult to train because of leggy growth. Requires a pollinator; Comice Orcas, or Shipova. Susceptible to fire blight in warm, moist, climates. Ripens in early to mid October. 800-900 Hours. Zones 4-9. Introduced from Belgium in 1807.
Clapp’s Favorite
Very large, elongated, long necked, lemon yellow fruit with dull red cheek and russet specks. White flesh is high quality, fine grained, very sweet and highly flavored. Dessert and fresh eating pear that is also good for canning. Not a keeper. Should be picked when full size but still green. Do not leave on the tree. Fruit will break down at the core if picked too late. Strong sturdy, very hardy, vigorous tree. Very susceptible to fire blight. Ripens early August; 7-14 days before Bartlett in early September. Zones 4-8.
Comice
Large , broad based, narrow necked, greenish yellow fruit with red blush and light russet. Rich, juicy, firm, sweet, finely textured flesh. Premium dessert pear. Too delicate for cooking. Needs a month of cool storage for good ripening. Large, very vigorous tree comes into bearing slowly. Erratic cropper. Requires pollination from Sugar, Anjou, Moonglow, or Bartlett. Primarily grown in Oregon and California where it excels. Matures one month after Bartlett. 400-600 Chill hours. Outstanding winter pear that originated in Angers, France around 1849.
Conference
Medium to large, slightly long, gourd shaped fruit. Smooth. Green skin tinted with russet. Pale yellow flesh with slight pink tinge. Sweet melting and very juicy. Medium size tree requires cross pollination. Fruit keeps until January. Poor fire blight resistance. Ripens late September. Hardy to -25 degrees F. Originated in England in 1894. Named for the British national pear conference.
Moonglow
Comice seedling. Medium large, dull yellow fruit with pink blush. Mildly juicy, soft, white flesh with smooth texture. Excellent, mild flavor and almost no grit cells. Excellent for fresh use or canning. Stores well. Spur type tree is fire blight resistant. Requires pollination. Good variety for commercial production or home gardens. Matures 10-14 days earlier than Bartlett, from early August to mid September depending on the location. Ripens to peak flavour in cool storage 10-15 days later. 500-700 chill hours. Zones 4-9. Developed by the USDA 1960.
Orcas
Yellow fruit with carmine blush. Large, flavorful pear that is well suited for home orchards and processing. Very versatile. Good for fresh eating, canning or drying. Very little core breakdown has been seen in ripe fruit, which can be a problem is overripe pears. Tree has vigorous open spreading habit. Both tree and fruit show good resistance to pear scab. Ripens in early September. Discovered by Joe Long on Orcas Island, Washington.
Potomac
Moonglow x Buerre D’Anjou. Fruit averages 2.5 inches. Ripens to a light green. Flesh texture is moderately fine and buttery. Pleasingly subacid flavor with mild aroma. Moderately vigorous tree shows more resistance to fire blight than Seckel. Requires pollinator. Ripens early September. Keeps for 8-10 weeks in refrigerated storage. 800 chill hours. Zones 5-8. Developed by the USDA and Ohio state University. Released in 1993.
Rescue
Large to very large, elongated, pyriform fruit. Yellow skin; 35-50% covered in vivid orange and red stripes and blush. Creamy, smooth, buttery flesh. Small core. Mild sweet flavor. Self fruitful. Scab resistant. Ripens in September, slightly later than Aurora. Keeps until December. 800 chill hours. Rescued in Washington State.
Seckel
(Honey Pear) Commonly called Sugar Pear. Not very pretty but a connoisseur’s delight. Small yellowish brown fruit with a pale russet and russet red cheek. Fine grained, smooth and extremely sweet, very juicy flesh. Distinctive, spicy. Rich aromatic flavor mostly in the skin. Excellent dessert pear. Deal for pickling, spicing and canning whole. Productive, slow growing, naturally semi dwarf, 15-20 ft. tree is widely adaptable, reliable, and heavy setting. Self-fertile but benefits from cross pollination but not with Bartlett. Some fire blight resistance. Ripens during September. 500-800 chill hours. Zones 5-9. Introduced from Europe in 1790.
Shipova
Sorbopear. Mountain Ash x European Pear. Medium size, round, yellow 2-3 inch fruit. Firm, seedless, flavorful flesh is highly fragrant. Scab resistant. Pollinates well with Bosc, Comice, Orcas, Ripens during August. Zones 3-9. Originated in Yugoslavia.
