The regional differences aren’t too surprising, except the reliability of judging ripeness by a clean stem break. That is not a reliable calibration here for me- once they reach that point they often immediately drop to the ground. Seckel is easy because you can wait for a dramatic change in color. With Harrow Sweet, you can also do this but neither of them last more than about 6 weeks in storage if picked tree-ripe. Both can get soft on the tree and still be great eating, but you will have a lot drop is you do that.
2 Likes
Mine ( if they were the truly the Duchese pears) were very late ripening as well. I could eat them sooner like an apple, before I stored them to get riper and softer to make pear butter with them. I did like eating them when they were riper like an apple.
They were as big as my open palm of my hand. Very heavy. Mine were blocked by most of the sun by some huge walnut trees so they were never any color but green. No blush. They did look exactly like the ones in your pictures.
1 Like
Maybe you could start making jam with them so that they do not have to be green?
I don’t eat much jam, but it’s nice to be eating pears out of the fridge well into winter, even if they are not the very best.
1 Like
Duchesse d’angouleme is the only pear I know of that looks and ripens like that. It’s also the only pear I grow with lumpy skin.
1 Like
The Duchess d’ Angoulme bronze version did not graft well to callery in my experience and delayed failure occurred.
2 Likes
Our Duchesses trees are picked around the last week in October. In the 15 years we’ve been here we’ve only experienced the monstrous sized fruit once. Pear on the left is average for this tree. Pear on the right was 1 1/2 lbs. 
11 Likes
Do the Duchesse and Bronzee store well?
1 Like
I’m not sure about the bronze version but Duchess does not store extremely long amounts of time. It stores about like a regular pear. Drippin Honey will store months!
2 Likes
Thank you for information. Sometimes storage of fruit can be big issue of what to grow or what fruit to avoid. Even the info on the buying sites can be unhelpful. Having someone that actually grows that particular fruit is so much help.
1 Like
Yes, so true!
Yes Duchess D’ Angoulme is a winner. They are ripening here now it’s October 15th. They should have been picked already.
9 Likes
Very nice. Here in the west michigan tourist trap, I imagine myself tending to my fruit stand fridays 10-2, and saturdays 9-1, training the fruit hounds to go out of their way to buy my varied pears. I would have to compete with this:
Should be no problem
4 Likes
One disadvantage that a fruit stand like that has, is the fact that they do not list the Asian pear cultivar that they are selling at the time. People get more excited when they know which kind of Asian pear that they are buying. Since I am so new to Asian pears that I have not had any homegrown fruit yet, I like buying Asian pears from the department/grocery store, although I never know what Asian pears I am actually buying. I do like most of the Asian pears I buy, yet I might buy more of them in one shopping trip if I knew what I was buying. Instead I buy more sparingly, sometimes I regret not getting more, other times I have no regret at all. I am less picky about Asian pears than a lot of other people are, and I may still pass on getting Asian pears from time to time, when I might have bought some if I knew what I was buying.
As far as European pear cultivars, them only having Bartlett ‘as good as they can be’, that is still leaving no option. As well as having uncommon cultivars could gain interest.
1 Like
I’m with you. Same with blueberries. They are NOT all the same. Those asian pears in the pic I bet are hosui
2 Likes
Still picking the last of them today on November 12th 2022
3 Likes
“Duchesse d’Angouleme pears will last up to three months or more in proper cool, dry storage .”
3 Likes
My scions are growing very well… 
1 Like