The best Asian Pears

mamuang · 2019-10-09T23:14:01.361Z

I’ve said many times that the best Asian pears for my yard is Korean Giant. I have proof that even squirrels agree.

Those sons of the gun always take bites off the biggest and sweetest KG. I hate them.

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Auburn · 2019-10-10T00:35:02.605Z

@tonyOmahaz5. @mamuang. I haven’t tasted many Asian pears but it is hard to imagine one being better than Korean Giant. Hope to catch up with you guys in a few years.

mamuang · 2019-10-10T00:47:05.213Z

Bill,
Tony is light years ahead of me. I have had only 3 varieties for several years I started learning to graft about 5 years ago and just added several more A pears these past 2-3 years ago.

mrsg47 · 2019-10-10T08:44:59.002Z

This was meant for Tony, but is a good idea for anyone growing these pears. The recipe also has cloves. Because Asian Pears are so crunchy and sweet. (Sweet enough) they would make excellent spiced pears for all winter long. The recipe I am talking about has cinnamon in it and is red, so they are also very pretty and would be delicious for all holidays! You should try it. The recipe is usually called ‘Cinnamon Apple Spice Rings’. Your pears will work better than apples as there is no chance of them getting soft. Mrs. G

mamuang · 2019-10-15T01:18:47.033Z

@Susu,
I picked all my KG today, 10/14. This was one of the bigger ones.

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I thought that I was fortunate that squirrels pretty much left my peaches alone. What I did not know was that they took several of my best looking Asian pears instead. I hate squirrels.

Susu · 2019-10-15T01:42:03.342Z

I’m glad you at least got some. That one is truly a Giant , almost a pound.
I picked my last one about a week ago. It also had the discoloration inside. Most of it was edible except for a little piece. Still not sure what the issue was.

mamuang · 2019-10-15T01:46:44.018Z

Mine, even the ones with worms inside, have had the discoloration your KG did. I hope you find out what caused it. Very odd.

snowflake · 2019-10-15T13:26:24.260Z

Mine were ripe much earlier than usual this year and some of the earliest ones were in various stages of going bad (and discolored) from the inside out.

JamesWNY · 2019-10-15T14:02:11.789Z

I did not pick all my KG yet and I left the biggest one on the tree.

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gafred54 · 2019-10-16T09:07:06.821Z

What is a good pollinator for the Korean Giant? I’m in the Texas panhandle, dry Zone 6b. Thanks.

Auburn · 2019-10-16T10:29:53.081Z

In my location Harrow Sweet overlaps bloom time. My opinion is that a few more varieties grafted in will enhance pollination. My Harrow Delight hasn’t bloomed yet but it might work.

mamuang · 2019-10-16T10:41:01.437Z

When I first started, it was a 20th Century aka nijjiseiki Asian pear. Any pear blooming at the same time should work.

Like @Auburn said, grafting a different pear or two on your tree will do, too.

gafred54 · 2019-10-16T16:27:07.989Z

Hi Bill, thanks for the info.
Gary

Codym17 · 2019-10-16T21:06:08.272Z

I’ve been following this thread and am interested in maybe growing an asian pear or two with a bartlet that i already plan to order. One thing im wondering, however, are asain pears something that most people like? I think ive seen it once or twice now on this site where people werent impressed, but think it was chalked up to them being picked too early… chojuro sounds awesome if it taste like butterscotch at all but i keep seeing that one listed as one of the least cold hardy. Anyone have a recomendation for the best cold hardy variety?

PharmerDrewee · 2019-10-16T21:31:38.886Z

I’m in Japan right now and found one that I’ve never tried before. It’s called Akizuki. Not much acidity at all, and the flesh is extremely juicy. It’s not a hard pear, crisp, but not what I’d call crunchy. The texture really isn’t like most Asian pears. Other varieties found at the market that I could identify were Kosui, Hosui, Niitaka, and Nansui.

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mamuang · 2019-10-16T22:35:20.642Z

A lot depends on your expectation.
Asian pears are usually crunchy and sweet. Some varieties may have some acid to balance it off. It has straight forward taste and crunchy texture that attracts its fans.

Euro pears usually have more complex taste in addition to sweetness. Texture is either gritty or smooth. The popular ones usually have smooth, melting flesh, sweet and aromatic.

People who are used to eating Asian pears may not like the Euro’s taste and texture and vise versa.

I like both and set my expectation accordingly.

Codym17 · 2019-10-16T23:40:34.400Z

Im guessing i would like them, there are few fruits ive tried and havnt. Just a little skeptical when buying fruit i cant try first…

Seedy · 2019-10-16T23:47:05.849Z

From a Jilin (China) market seedling. Yes, it’s big; yes, it’s good. I’ll look into getting scions at some point. I like to put these in the fridge for a while, so I’ll report back in a few weeks. I’ve had these before; I think I remember them as quite tasty. No further info at this time.
PS: Not a meteorite.

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mamuang · 2019-10-16T23:48:14.126Z

If you can find Asian grocery stores near you, they should be in stores,
Keep in mind store bought fruit are often not as sweet as home grown because they are picked early…

gafred54 · 2019-10-17T01:11:37.672Z

Thanks for the recommendation. It will be easier for me to get another tree, my experience with grafting is nil. I would love to have a productive pear tree just like when I was growing up in southern Louisiana. Gonna keep trying!