So true. I like some late ripening fruit varieties to make the fruit eating season go longer. It seems like forever from the last pear/apple in storage before the next crop off your trees.
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That pear sure is a beauty! please count me in as one of those interested in a scion if Corvallis does send you some.
My first pitch for a name is simple, ‘Red Guyot’.
I’m not familiar with Vasilov, a quick google suggests this could be Nikolai Vasilov, Russian agronomist who died of starvation after running afoul of Stalin. I like Russian familiar names and a familiar for Nikolai is ‘Kolya’, which could also be a good name.
I’m not the best namer, but am up to throw some ideas around if it’s helpful.
Some El Dorado and Harrow Sweet ripening along with the unknown that has lived at my house since before we got here
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Aaron, Yes, that is the person that the Vavilov Institute was named for. During the days of the Soviet Union there were Vavilov institutes in many places. I went on a NAFEX tour in 1989. We visited the locations in Moscow, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tbilisi, Georgia, Tashkent, Uzbekistan and finally back to Leningrad. A great three weeks!
Here is the write-up of Hybrid VII from Joseph Postman’s Curator’s Choice list. It was later named Vavilov.
Rousselet of Stuttgart x Dr. Jules Guyot No. VII = PI 337446 (CPYR 499.001) - Pyrus communis
Attractive rainbow-trout colored, crunchy pear that ripens nicely on the tree. Five selections of the cross Rousselet Shtutgartskii x Dr. J. Gujo were received in 1968 from the USSR Vavilov Institute in Leningrad. All five selections have crunchy, attractive, pyriform shaped fruit that ripen in August and September. Selection VII is the most attractive, with red blushed and speckled fruit similar in coloring to Forelle. Tree is disease resistant and cold hardy.
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When i went to South Korea last year, the pears and persimmons didn’t get picked until it was almost freezing cold on the regular.
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That is quite early for El Dorado to mature. Usually late September or early October for me but you are warmer in Napa.
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@mayhaw9999
What do you make of the flavor of Aurora? I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of Bartlett and was wondering if it departed from it or if it was similar?
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aurora is 75% Bartlett
Likewise my eldorado are very late as well. Harrow sweet is ripening right now for me.
For once, my pears that I don’t know what they are but maybe Seckel, or not, are just perfectly ripened. Nothing could be better.
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If you will go back to post 6 of this thread you will see that I picked Aurora in July. It has been in the way on my kitchen counter since! I had given up on it but did notice that they were not getting overly soft as they turned slightly yellow. Most early pears go mushy soon after picking.
Bottom line - thanks for asking me about the flavor. I had not tasted them. The entire pear is a little soft. I was expecting some core breakdown when I cut it. As you can see, it is perfect. I call the texture a little chewy - not crisp and not melting. There is not a lot of acid but the sweetness is perfect. Comments from the other family members - good snacking pear, would be good in a pear salad. Both used chewy as the adjective to describe the texture. It has none of the flavors of Bartlett. All that said, it may have been entirely different if it had been chilled for a few weeks before ripening.
Here is the description of the fruit from Brooks and Olmo:
Fruit: large; pyriform; skin bright yellow, slightly russeted, sometimes blushed, very attractive; flesh melting, smooth, juicy, sweet, aromatic, high quality for dessert purposes; longer storage and shelf life than Bartlett; ripens with or just after Bartlett;
My fruit are not large but it is ripening with my Nye Russet Bartlett which has been picked in the past few days.
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Last week Shroyer’s Sunset pear was ready to pick. Most are off the tree. I think I picked it too early last year. Go to #8 in the Pear Harvest 2023 for the write-up and photos. Devoe photos are on the same note.
Today I picked most of the Seckel, all of the Devoe, a few Harrow Sweet and a couple of Abbe Fetel. Twenty Century Asian is falling and I picked a few Shinseiki that were ready.
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Tomorrow, if I’m up to it, I’ll start picking Magness and Jana’s Pear. Clark, if I recall, you have said that Magness ripens a week or so before Warren. That certainly seems correct this year here in Sebastopol. I had not noticed that before.
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Typically that is true magness starts ripening about a week before warren at my property. There is overlap so you might pick your last couple magness after warren or vice versa. In my experience there are always a few that bloomed later and riped later on these trees. Not a large number , just a few. In my experience warren is slightly more yellow when ripe and magness is slightly more green.
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Here is another new (old) pear that is fruiting for the first time this year. All I know about it is what is in the GRIN database. and Pears of NY.
Here is what Hedrick says in the minor varieties section of the book:
Saint André. 1. Hovey Fr. Am. 1:79, fig. 1851. 2. Leroy Dict. Pom. 2:613, fig. 1869.
The origin of this pear is unascertainable but it was introduced to this country by R. Manning, Salem, Mass., who imported cions of it from Messrs. Baumann, nurserymen, Bollwiller, Fr. (Bollweiler, Alsace), in 1834 or 1835. Fruit medium or below, ovate, rather symmetrical, bossed and sometimes a little ventriculated in its lower half; skin fine and smooth, yellow-green, dotted and streaked with gray, very rarely colored on the cheek next the sun; flesh greenish-white, fine and most melting, extremely juicy, sweet, saccharine, slightly vinous, delicate and highly perfumed; first; Oct.
And from GRIN:
Origin obscure. First observed by Leroy in 1829. Received in the United States by Robert Manning in 1834 or 1835. Fruit small to medium in size, generally ovate in form but quite irregular. Skin greenish-yellow in color, waxy, some green or gray dots. Flesh fine, melting, quite free of grit, very juicy. Sweet, aromatic, highly pleasing flavor. Midseason. Tree moderately vigorous, spreading in habit, very productive, true dwarf on quince. Somewhat resistant to fire blight. – H. Hartman 1957
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My first crop of Aurora’s came off the tree ~ 2 weeks ago. Bartlett’s are now starting to come off for comparison. The Aurora’s have been in the fridge since harvest. The color is still more brownish gold than yellow and quite firm. How long do you suggest leaving in the fridge before removing to ripen on the countertop?
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My guess is that your Auroras have been in the refer long enough and can come out whenever you wish but will store until December. I’m still trying to figure out why all of my fruit fell or were ready to pick in July, I’m at the end of Bartlett season here - usually mid to late August.
Nice looking fruit!
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Quick question: Birds are punishing my pears. Comice is not usually ripe for another 2-3 weeks, but I looked at a damaged one and the seeds are brown with black around the edges. Do you think that is far enough along to harvest?
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Yes. They will probably ripen ok but it may take longer.
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Thank you. I removed an Aurora from the fridge and we’ll see how long it takes to soften up. Next up is Seckel and Potomac in ~ 1 to 2 weeks. I had several apples drop early, but not ripen. Leaves are falling off the pear trees early this year, which I’m attributing to excess water thanks in part to the 8" of rain from Tropical Storm Debby.
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