@clarkinks do your kieffer and improved trees both get often frosted out from the early bloom time?
Like you say our Kieffer is the only ancient fruit tree on our old farmstead.
Last year its blooms got totally fried.
This year it 90% froze out but it set a light crop so I picked those i could reach about 3/4 a bushel a week ago and mom put them in jars.
I love them fresh when they turn yellow firm, better than most walmart apples or grapes at least… (but i love all fruit…)
We havent yet had a freeze down here, even the basil barely missed getting fried a week ago we got down to like 38. It should get taken out this weekend along with the tomato and pepper.
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Most years they make a crop. The blooms are very resistant to cold. If you want to cheat a bit spray the tree with the copper in early spring. Kill the bacteria that help ice form you gain a few degrees of protection.
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Most years they make a crop. The blooms are very resistant to cold. If you want to cheat a bit spray the tree with the copper in early spring. Kill the bacteria that help ice form you gain a few degrees of protection.
These pears ripen in late July or early August some years but some are still ripening in October this year. I suspect I will still be picking in November! Typically they don’t have so much sugar in them but this year the cold weather is bringing it out. Some people put pears in the refrigerator but it’s always nicer when nature is on our side doing it for us.
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Interesting!! 
Interesting. Is there a connection between bloom time and russeting?
The later the bloom the less russeting?
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There can be, look up frost rings as an example here. These are photos I posted showing frost rings the last few years on this type of pear. Typically pears that bloom early are the most likely to be frosted on. Improved Kieffer is very resistant to cold weather during its bloom time.
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Auburn your experience matches mine with improved keifer, not surprising since we’re in the same general area. Like yours my tree fruits late summer, a few fruits ripen early fall but none as late as October. It’s taste when properly ripened is sweet, a bit acidic, melting, and delicious but with a bitter skin. It is not a good keeper. Mine is a huge tree and I can’t thin it enough to keep it from going biennial and breaking it’s branches in the heavy years. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say there are probably a couple different strains out their going by the name of improved keiffer so folks should make sure they acquire the version they want. Mine came from Willis Orchards.
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You both have probably heard me say I think 100 pears go by the name Kieffer. They are all different. The real Kieffer like @39thparallel grows are getting harder to find. Improved Kieffer is only improved in one way. Improved Kieffer here is very tolerant of cold. When I say tolerant I mean one year only it had no crop that I can think of. It’s had 50-90% loss of fruit a couple of times. Some would argue an early ripening time or early blooming time is not that great. I grow both improved and old fashioned Kieffer myself. At least I think I grow the right trees! Noone really know how many Kieffer have been improved do we?
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I did not know so many places are selling " fake" Kieffer pears. I planted a Kieffer pear three years ago. Now I have to watch and see what pear actually grows.
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Improved Kieffer are very good right now! Just finished enjoying one I had inside. Many like this one have occasional balls of darker brown grit which are no doubt previous injuries suffered throughout the growing season. The white flesh is very good. You can see them here by the neck. The grit is harmless but undesirable. There is also grit around the core as shown here… Seeds are black and skin yellow dripping with sugary sweet juice. Yes this is what a ripe Kieffer should look like.
You can easily physically see the grit around the seed cavity and what’s under the skin. It’s my belief improved Kieffer are slightly more gritty than Kieffer.
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Today is November 13th and on this off year we are still picking these off the trees. Winter was very late to end this spring. Great to.have so much food so late but it is rather concerning.
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Need to check on improved kieffer they are running late this year. These are what i consider the potato of pears. They will absolutely feed you but they are not the high quality pear everyone is used to. They are intended to be used for canning and they are one of the best for that.
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Improved kieffer are getting some insect damage as expected like most pears this year. Today is September 25th.
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I used my Kieffer pears to make pear butter.
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A very hardy pear that sets very heavy crops. Keep in mind this is a canning pear. If your looking for a fresh eating pear consider harrow sweet, warren, potomac etc. but canning pears are literally for canning. We eat a few fresh every year and i enjoy them when i do.
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My grandmother and I made “apple” pie from fresh-picked 'Kieffer"pears in the 1970’s, she said she learned that during the depression. Most people didn’t know the difference. 
An older lady gave me a jar of “pear honey” from ‘Kieffer’ pears I brought to her by the 5 gallon bucketfuls. Better than anything store bought!
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I used my Kieffer pears to make pear butter. They were great for that use. I will have to look up to see if I can find a “pear honey” recipe. That name " pear honey" sounds good.
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I made pear butter as well and added some ginger and it’s divine
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