Scott,
You have a good point.
I have stereotyped ideas on fruit. I like my A pear sweet and crunchy, E pear sweet and soft,etc.
What I really like is HW623 but I have to wait until 2019, yikes!!!
Harrow Gold and Cold Snap pears are also interesting.
Mamuang,
Goodfruit said in the 2012 article “It has a crisp, juicy texture and sweet, but mild flavor more similar to an Asian pear than a European pear” http://www.goodfruit.com/good-to-know-a-gem-of-a-pear/ . The 2014 article is this one http://www.goodfruit.com/what-a-gem/. I took that to mean it’s more like an Asian pear which I like and they went on in the article to say " though it is not a melting, dessert-type pear" so I took that to mean like most Asian pears it does not have euro pears qualities. Both euro and Asian pears have their advantages and I like both. @scottfsmith makes a good point which is if someone likes comice they should not plant gem , drippen honey, Korean giant, hosui or any of the others with that flavor expecting those to be melting. The excellent flavor bullet is a point of concern and Scott knows about their ratings.
Clark,
I do like my A pear crunchy. Not sure about E pear with crunch 
Thanks for explaining. Too bad no one among us have eaten it.
One of the articles about Gem said that there was a university taste study on it which concluded that it had similar flavor and purchase intent as Bartlett pear. The pear is supposed to have a good Asian pear like texture for eating when picked and at that stage be like an Asian pear. But it takes 3 weeks of cold storage before it “ripens properly”. It’s sounding like its main claim to fame is good storage characteristics. Six to 8 months storage in refrigeration under normal atmospheric conditions is pretty good. I’ve already ordered a Korean Giant for one of the spots in my garden. I continue to go back and forth on whether to go with this one, Potomac or Warren for my one last space in the orchard. God bless.
Marcus
Scott,
I have similar suspicions.
The Harvest Queen pear is the best-flavored pear I have ever eaten, and yet it is virtually unobtainable. What a scandal. The Canadians got it right on this one.
Matt you can get it from Summerland in BC they can and do ship to the US but there is of course permits that you have to get to do that an I am not sure if you have to be a business .
I don’t see it listed on their website.
Here is the link. It is listed under pears
Summerland Budwood Catalogue
ETA I didn’t mean to insult your intelligence by saying it was listed under Pears, I am sure you knew that, it is just that they have a Perry Pear listing higher on the page ( out of alphabetical order)
I wound up not yet getting gem yet and wondered if you did how’s it growing?
I got all excited when that article came out in Good Fruit Grower in 2014. We were having horrible fire blight on our pears. I was able to get 10 Gem trees in 2015 from Cummins, and a few more in 2016, but they were not carrying it this year. The commercial industry made such a big deal about the release of this pear that I don’t know why it is taking so long for it to be more widely available.
So a few of the original trees died (they were pretty scrawny). We do have 8 trees in third leaf and 4 in second leaf. As you all know, there will be a few more years until we see any fruit. Most of the trees are growing well now. I like crispy pears and am really looking forward to fruit.
My 1 GEM just dropped to the ground yesterday. I’d had 2 GEM’s on this 3rd leaf tree but the squirrels got one. This pear may have dropped a little early, I’d been lifting it every 2-3 days to see if it was ripe.
Given I only have 1, I’m wondering how long I should let it ripen in the fridge & on the shelf
btw, no fb or pear rust so far on this tree, both of which are common here in Dallas
I found this old thread on “gem” and thought you guys might be interested to know that Dr. Schupp up at FREC (PSU) has an ongoing study of fireblight resistant varieties and he is very complimentary on Gem. It has scored very well in taste panels and has lots of other good attributes. Apparently it ‘can’ be eaten crispy like an Asian pear but also can cure and be eaten later like a European pear. Thus a wide harvest. We are putting in a large planting and will need to bud from the interstem, so Gem looks like a contender… if I can find some wood.
If someone gets it to bloom with less than 500 chilling hours let us know. My understanding is that it hasn’t been tested at less than 700 chilling hours.
Reference this as parentage Barseck pear tree - #5 by clarkinks and this was an accidental double post Pears that Can Ripen on the Tree like Gem
How is everyones Gem tree doing?
I had fb on 3 of my new transplants last year, cuting half and did the recommended copper sprays, ok so far
I actually added a Gem this year. So I am excited to try it. I am trying to pick more disease resistant verities after initially buying ones that may get hit (i.e., Parker/Patten). So far, I have Gem, Kieffer, Harrow Delight, Parker, and a Patten I am nursing back.
Its that necrotic spreading patch ive seen on shinsui and some Hsweet. Like yall said cut back to north bud and copper treatment. Is there a need for a follow up spray? Pseudomonas?
That should do it lets hope you get hit less than we did in Kansas this year. We have never in my lifetime seen the type of damage we have seen here this year.
