Hi all!
I’ve had an orient pear for about 7 years now. I didn’t do any research on pear varieties before I purchased it. I only called Womack nursery and asked for them to make a suggestion on which pear would be easiest to grow, with few issues, in the DFW area.
My orient has been producing for about three years now. After now doing some research, I understand the pears are different from most other fruits, in that I need to pick them before they are ripe.
This year, I picked probably about 30 to 40 pears. I put them in the frig. I tried finishing ripening on the countertop, but that didn’t go well. All those pears just started looking sad and didn’t taste very good. We have a wine fridge, so I put some in there to finish ripening, and those seem to do better. They seem to get juicy and ripen up to a nice texture. Maybe it’s too warm in FW to ripen pears on the counter?
I left lots of the pears just in the frig, just waiting to take them out as I needed them, but a lot of them got wrinkly.
So, what I need to know is, how exactly do I keep the pears properly, until they’re ready to finish ripening. (After the conversation about Apple storage in the fridge, I’m wondering if I should have put the pears in plastic bags.). Then, how do I best finish ripening them?
My husband asked if I wanted to take out the Pear tree and put in a new pear tree. I’m not sure I want to do that, because I put so many years into this Peartree already! But, I also want a pear tree for production!!
My understanding (which may be wrong) is that the pick-early-and-refrigerate method is for soft dessert-type pears. I didn’t think it was used for hard pears like Orient or Kieffer. Again, could be wrong. Hopefully someone with more expertise will chime in.
I have had a tree of Orient for several years. My method and it has worked well is to pick when the skin takes on a lighter color and easily snaps off when lifted upward (about the 1-2 weeks in August at my location). At this stage they are already pretty sweet and good to eat. I bag these in large ziploc bags and refrigerate. After a few weeks in the fridge they will get even sweeter. If picked at the right stage they remain good for 2-3 months at least.
I did not realize that Orient pears store that well. My experience is with a pear that I think is Orient but the owner does not remember what it is. Assuming that’s orient, I frankly like it best as a crunchy pear right off the tree. Think of it as more like its Asian Pear parent. It’s OK as a canning pear but shrinks up a little more than I prefer. God bless.
I would think about this a long time before taking out a seven year old pear tree. It would take a long time to replace it. Grafting in other varieties would save considerable time.
I did it! I grafted two new varieties onto my orient pear!! I used the cleft, whip, and bud grafting methods, but the whips have taken.
Unfortunately, I didn’t place them super well. I place them in areas where we had trimmed the tree out of the walkway. I’ll have to try again, and put them higher up and closer into the body of the tree.
Orient as the name implies is a cross between Asian and European pears.
"
Heavy producer
Requires 300 chill hours
A good choice for mild winter areas. Smooth textured white flesh is sweet, firm, and juicy. Heavy producer. Medium resistance to fire blight. Does better with a pollinizer such as Bartlett, Kieffer, or Moonglow. Cold hardy zone 6. (300 chill hours required). Harvest in August. Eat or process right off the tree, no cold storage required.
I grow this one in Zone 6. It’s been a slow, clean grower so far for me and hasn’t produced yet (planted in 2019). It could be slower growing, because it’s growing in native warm season grasses such as big and little bluestem.
The resistance to fireblight and low chill hours for those in the south make this pear very appealing!
" Orient pear trees produce large, firm fruit that is known for its intense beauty. It has a thick skin and flesh that is juicy, creamy and melting, with a good texture and excellent flavor. The Orient pear tree is resistant to blight and requires little pruning. Ripens late summer.
Zones 5-8 Chill Hours: 350
Product Details
Fruit Color: Yellow-Green
Fruit Size: Large Ripens/Harvest: Aug.-Sept. pH: 6.0-7.0 Years to Bear: 2-3 Zone Range: 5-8 Plant Spacing: 20 feet Chill Hours: 350
Going to add a few of these today. Going to attempt to dwarf them in an experimental row i’m growing. Might add 8- 10 trees. Will graft them over later if i change my mind.
