Noticed lots of new pears released the last few years so once again I’d like to get your opinions on just what the best pears really are. Forget about past topics for now because like I said things are changing all the time.
2 Likes
I am too new to this to have any opinion, but being as I’d like to hear what you think…What are your best pears?
1 Like
I personally like comice, abate fetel, clapps favorite, my small yellow unknown pear, Harrow sweet, Bosc, drippin’ honey, Korean Giant to name a few. There are better pears out there I’m waiting to Fruit such as Clara Frijs, Paragon,Potomac, beurre superfin, harvest queen, Tyson, Ayers, Seckel, white doyenne, conference, Concorde, aurora, dawn, forelle, onward, Dana hovey, docteur deportes, citron de carmes, fondanta de moulins Lille, magness, warren, honey sweet, the new Harrow pears recently released in the USA etc… This is a great list to go by https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/20721500/Postman/Curator’s%20Choice%20Pears%2002-2012.pdf and this one http://www.cumminsnursery.com/pear.htm. Some of the good ones I’ve tried but not fruited but are consistently good and others like forelle I’m unsure of because it’s inconsistent. All pears have good and bad years. Bosc though I’ve not fruited it I’ve eaten and year after year is fairly good. Comice is very consistent no matter where you get it it’s good. Some I just tried the first time in the last year or two. Harrow sweet I’ve eaten a couple of times now and some were mine and one was not but they were consistent and good. Harrow sweet will never be paragon quality.
3 Likes
Best I had this year was a Buerre Bosc grown at a friend’s place nearby. Great flavor and texture far better than store bought. My Buerre Giffard made some really great pears in late summer as well, unique flavor and aromatics, and beautiful as well.
5 Likes
Jesse,
Your making me happy because I grafted Buerre Giffard last year. I’m badly needing to figure out a way to grow Bosc and this year I’m going to do it. In honor of @fruitnut I’m going to graft the top of one of my t-bud pears over to Bosc. The reason being is fruitnuts tutorial showed me how to tbud and because he loves to grow his Bosc pears http://www.growingfruit.org/t/t-budding-tutorial/6167
http://www.growingfruit.org/t/bosc-deserves-some-love/3111
3 Likes
It looks like my Tennsoui, Southern King and Acres home might have a few flower clusters this year. I’ve already shared some thoughts about Southern Bartlett which has only been available as nursery stock for about six years now. It’s productive, juicy, thinned skin and can be ripened into a very, very sweet soft pear, but once ripe has a very short shelf life.
My Southern Bartlett, Tenns, Goldenboy, LeConte and Baldwin pear trees are all full of flower buds this year. If they are not all zapped by a late frost or something, I should be able a good evaluation of them. God bless.
Marcus
2 Likes
Marcus,
I’m looking very forward to your report on Tenns because mine is still fairly young. Really wanting to know what to expect with that pear. Wishing you a very blessed year. By the way for those who want to know what quality pears I’m looking for there are 4 pears specifically known as best ever, paragon, Rogue Red, cascade I’m highly interested in 'PARAGON' AND 'BESTEVER', TWO 'COMICE' HYBRID PEAR CULTIVARS DEVELOPED IN SOUTHERN OREGON. This is an article worth reading https://www.google.com/amp/www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-pears-best-ever-david-karp20170322-story,amp.html. The pear Louis Pasteur went into the breeding of best ever. Thank you!
Good luck with Bosc, While I’ve seen unsprayed abandoned orchards loaded with sound Bosc pears, they often succumb here to fire blight and serious psyla induced fungal issues that cause early defoliation that ruins the fruit. I’ve long since stopped planting Bosc trees in my nursery and when I’ve run out of them I will only provide trees that have a Bosc graft to something more forgiving.
1 Like
Alan I thought I would use my yellow pear on the bottom half of the tree and Bosc on top. I’m not sure it will work because so far Bosc is really hard to grow here. Maybe I should stick with docteur desportes.
Of course, a few of us really like Keiffer. OTOH many hate it
2 Likes
Bhawkins,
There is nothing wrong with kieffer as long as the person eating it does not expect it to taste like bosc or comice. We like to can them or eat them fresh. If I have a drippin’ honey though I would almost always rather eat that instead.
1 Like