Sadly, I am there as I type this tonight.
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For those who care about my opinion, I am planning to retire soon (I am entering my late 50s now) and I plan to grow Potomac when I move and start over.
As mentioned, it is not my favorite pear but it is very good pear, it just does not wow me the same way Harvest Queen, Warren, Magness, of Harrow Sweet does. But then neither does the venerable Seckle. It is simply a matter of taste and it is a very good pear and one many people love. My bride is very fond of it. I just am not thrilled by D’Anjou and Potomac taste a bit like D’Anjou crossed with a Newtown Pippin apple to me. Nothing wrong with it, just not what I seek in a pear.
By the way, Potomac work well with a very sharp cheddar cheese for those aware of my pear and cheese fetish. ALDI carries an inexpensive and very high quality Vintage White Sharp Cheddar cheese that I swear is meant to be served with Potomac. Based on intrinsic only, as I do not drink, I imagine a very dry wine would complete the scene for most of you. Oh what he heck, splurge and throw in some Rye Krisp crackers or a piece of Bavarian Rye bread and make a meal out of it.
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We to love cheese and pears. A friend and I were just having this discussion of which ones of the cheeses are paired with each pear. Should you needs scions to get restablished after retirement just let me know which ones you need.
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Gorgonzola and Anjou *a ripe juicy pear!r
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Fluffy One…for many consecutive years, Cabot took top awards for sharp cheddar at the World Dairy Expo. You can buy it at Wal-Mart…and it is the best sharp cheddar I’ve ever eaten…but now I have to hit Aldi so I can do a taste comparison.
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Potomac in Kansas this year is exceptional. Would rate them as a 9 on a 10 scale for pears.
Today September 19th I’m picking the remainder of the crop which began ripening a few days ago. I grow them on a natural dwarfing seedling Bartlett rootstock. Anjou which I’ve heard it compared to has nothing on this pear! I lost some ripening them so long on the tree but it was totally worth it. These pears are what growing pears are about. At least 2021 is a good year here but ofcourse time will tell.
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As mentioned, it is not my favorite pear but it is very good pear, it just does not wow me the same way Harvest Queen, Warren, Magness, of Harrow Sweet does.
I’d agree with that. I find the Potomac to be perfectly buttery soft, mild and sweet…but not very complex. The Harrow Sweet has much more sparkle and spice (very technical tasting notes here).
I like them both, but do prefer the latter…but when I pass slices around, half the family prefers the Potomac so…we’re happy to have both.
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Maybe I just got lucky with the timing, but the above description fits pretty well. I vaugely recall that the brix was in the high teens (17-18, I think). They were also quite large. Now, I wish I’d recorded when I ate them…I think it was mid-late September. I didn’t think about it for a while, but was reminded when I saw this subject.
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Think adding more potomac is a must. They were exceptional!
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Do Potomac pears russet very much? I have heard different reports. I do not want much russetting on my pears. This pictures shows significant russetting. THanks.
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Some report Potomac pears are sometimes has russeting on fruit. Does yours have much russeting? (I like Anjou type pears but not russeting on the fruit). Thanks!
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Yes they have some russeting definatey. They are very good pears you might want to peal them.
Grafted Potomac onto a OHxF87 rootstock growing in place since last season. Hoping it will see some nice growth since the roots had a year to establish. Got the knack of ripening store bought Anjou this winter, can’t wait to taste this offspring.
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It sounded good from the descriptions I read, but always nice to get confirmation from a pear master 
I’ve got Magness going as well. Might put in a third pear, thinking maybe Shendoah or Douglass. I’ve got a massive old pear that came with the property which doesn’t grow great fruit, but is good to put a few branches of other varieties onto.
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We’ve got a Potomac which flowered for the first time this year. The tree is older but in a really wet spot in our yard, which has stunted its growth, so has taken forever to flower.
I believe we have some Harvest Queen also flowering fore the first time. Seems like all our “new” pears and apples decided to finally get to work and start producing.
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I got 5 Shenandoahs and chose them over Potomac due to size and looks. But, when I buy pears at store, I buy anjou.
must have a couple.
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Had some rot damage this year. Potomac has been a light bearer for me but i enjoy them. They have more grit and a thicker peel than normal. Picked them using the Tilt test method today. Today is September 10th.
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https://growingfruit.org/t/danas-2023-wishlist-and-trades/50280?u=dpps
Just throwing this out there to see if anyone has some Potomac pear scions they’d be willing send me for a trade or postage?
Thanks!