These are beautiful pears! Anyone else growing this variety? My pear tree in the picture below is really loaded up with pears for a younger 12’ tree.
The following description seems fairly accurate. https://www.jungseed.com/P/30825/Karl’S+Favorite+Pear+(Dwarf)
“Ewart - An excellent quality pear originating near Akron, Ohio in 1928. Yellow fruits have slightly russeted skin and are quite large, some over 1 lb each. Flesh is fine-grained, melting and juicy, superb for fresh eating and canning. The hardy, vigorous trees are very productive, bear annually and have moderate resistance to Fire Blight. Fruit ripens in September”
For those who might be curious the high quality luscious pear is a child of e31 x ewart pears. Ewart has an interesting history as well. “Ewart, of unknown parentage, is a pear of excellent quality introduced in 1928. It was discovered along a farm fencerow by Mortimer Ewart of East Akron, Ohio” Ewart aka Karl’s favorite ripens before luscious with magness, potomac, and harrow sweet ( i will feel lucky to be alive if i get to eat all those around the same time! )GOWeb-MaturityChart-PEAR(2013).pdf (110.8 KB)
Thats around the right time for Clapps favorite at most locations though many years ours ripen sooner. Summercrisp is not producing for us yet but when it does i will update the time when mine ripen and we can compare. Some years my pears ripen in diffsrsnt orders. The more years i grow pears the more i know we dont know much about them. So many years pears were very difficult to get and now that there is revised interest we are learning new things about them.
Karl’s favorite are perfect again this year on September 19th. I enjoy this pear but it’s not the quality of Warren or Potomac that ripen at similar times. It’s still a good pear I’m glad that I grow. Don’t overlook it it’s well worth growing. Leaves are beginning to change colors and drop already on all the trees as if they know something I don’t. These will need some time to ripen inside.
Love this pear because its good quality but not the best. Its highly disease resistant and easy to grow. One was ripe today on September 10th. It tasted pretty sour after eating warren a minute before. They are grafted on the same tree as warren has trouble with pollination.
Karls favorite are becoming more well known. Highly recommend them! Here are a few of the latest nursery descriptions
“Originating in Akron, Ohio in 1928, Karl’s favorite has slightly russeted skin and the pears themselves are are quite large, some over even a pound! Your neighbors will wonder what the heck this tree is because of its corky nature in terms of Karl’s Fav’s branch appearance/habit. The flesh is fine-grained, melting and juicy, superb for fresh eating and canning. Widely planted in northern Michigan, these hardy zone 3 (and quite possibly some 2) pears have moderate resistance to fire blight. Plant with Clapp’s Favorite, Bartlett, D’anjou, Comice, Bosc, Hardy, or Seckel for best pollination.”
"Karl’s Favorite ripens 10-20 days after Bartlett and is an excellent pollinator for Bartlett too. It has yellow skin with slight russeting. Its tender, melting flesh has exceptional flavor and quality. It is moderately immune to fire blight.
"This fruit originated near Akron, Ohio and is also known by the name of “Karl’s Favorite”.
It is considered to be an excellent quality pear. The fruit is medium sized with yellow, slightly russetted skin. The flesh is fine-grained, tender, melting and very juicy. The flavour and quality are superb.
The tree is hardy, vigorous and moderately resistant to fire blight. It is very productive and an annual bearer.
It ripens 10 to 20 days after Bartlett and is a fine pear for fresh use and for canning.
“Big fruits, some over one pound each! This excellent quality pear originated near Akron, Ohio in 1928. Yellow fruits have slightly russeted skin and are quite large. Flesh is fine-grained, melting and juicy, superb for fresh eating and canning. The hardy, vigorous trees are very productive, bear annually and have moderate resistance to fire blight. Fruit ripens in September.
Pollination Partners: Seckel or Jung’s Hardy Wisconsin”
There was a large racoon family that raided the Karls favorite last night passing by every other pear tree to get there. There are a few pears left on the tree and a few broken branches. Hopefully they enjoyed the pears i was not as impressed with them this year as they were. Today is September 25th. It would seem these are racoons favorite as well as Karls. Ewart is a more common name in some areas.
Going to add several more karls favorite trees this year. Never seem to have enough of this variety! This pear tree bears very heavy though i have only half a tree dedicated to this pear.
I remember looking at the old Jung’s catalog and seeing Karl’s Favorite in there.
Jung’s originated not far north of where I was born and grew up. My Dad planted a pear tree when I was an early teen. He didn’t remember the variety, but he knew it wasn’t a Bartlett. I’ve often wondered if that pear was a Karl’s Favorite. The fruit was as good a pear as I’ve eaten.
It would be well worth your time to graft these. I love them! If you hit me up when it is cold i will send you some. Most of my graft wood is nearly done for this year. I’m picking through the sprouting stuff to finish what i have left.
