I’m trying to add to my winter pears. I currently growing Winter Nelis, Kaspar’s Winter pear and Santa Claus. I was looking for advise on Pound pear or any other varieties. I should add that I’m not just growing these pears for people, but as feed to supplement animals in the winter.
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One area where my pear spreadsheet needs improvement is in “uses” for each variety. I only have 2 pears listed specifically for storage. Winter Nelis is one and Lucky Pittman’s Very Late is the other. Lucky knows it is a named variety but he lost the label. One day we will get it DNA ID’d.
I did a deep dive on long storage winter pears and found very little information. I found the below list but nothing indicating how long they can store. I’m going to define long storage as 3 months or more up to 6 months which appears to be as long as a pear can be stored while retaining high quality. Douglas is listed as up to 3 months in one source. Concorde is listed as 3 to 4 months.
I see a few problems in this list such as an Italian pear which has Beurre (French spelling for butter) instead of the Italian spelling.
Beurre Bachelier
Beurre Diel
Beurre d’Anjou
Beurre d’Hardenpont
Colmar Nelis
Beurre de Nivelles
Doyenne du Comice
Doyenne d’hiver
Duchesse d’hiver
Figue d’Alencon
Grand Soleil
Jules d’Airoles
Leon Gregoire
Orpheline d’Enghien
Passe-Colmar
Royale d’hiver
Saint-Germain d’hiver
Saint-Mathieu
Tardive de Toulouse
Triomphe de Jodoigne
Zephirin Gregoire
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Thanks for the list! I really appreciate it.
Gem as noted can remain in cold storage for 28 weeks without core breakdown or superficial scald.
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Maybe Turnbull? Dont have any personal experience with it, but it is later.
Just to add to this, I’d read the newly released “Cold Snap” (aka Harovin Sundown) is at least supposed to keep quite well (at least 6 months of memory serves).
That said I have no experience with it and am guessing it will be at least a few years before home orchardists have gotten the chance to better evaluate them, so take this statement with appropriate skepticism.
Don’t forget Shin li and other asian and chinese pears:)
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Okusankichi 6-10 mo.
St Remy 5-8 mo.
Packham’s Triumph 5-6 mo.
Passe Crassane 6-7 mo.
Easter Beurre 5-6 mo.
Rogue Red >6 mo.
Devici 7 mo.
Suij 5 mo.
Royal D’Hiver 4-5 mo.
Bosc 4-6 mo.
Winter Kyrgyz 6-8 mo.
Vicar of Winkfield 4 mo.
Daisui Li 6 mo.
El Dorado 7-8 mo.
Abbe Fetel 5-6 mo.
Korean Giant 6 mo.
Taylor apple pear 8-10 mo.
Kenko 8-10 mo.
Anjou 4-5 mo.
Shin li 5-9 mo.
Pai li supposedly the longest storing Asian pear
Tsu li 6 mo.
Ya li 6 mo.
Chojuro 5 mo.
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Thanks for the list. I didn’t realize these Asians could store so long.
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Back before my Ya Li Asian pear succumbed to fireblight, those pears would store well into April, with no appreciable loss of quality.
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I have one that I found in Tallapoosa Co., AL, that was still loaded with fruits hanging on Jan 1, and many on the ground below it. I’ve grafted it mainly as a wildlife soft mast , but always forget to sample it, so i can’t attest to its edibility from a human standpoint.
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I was thinking about Pai Li (Pa Li) but other than here its hard to find many positive reviews… Ya Li seems worse.
Curious how long Santa Claus keeps? I’m still waiting for mine to fruit.
I bet these 2 need full, full sun and be up on a hill to avoid freezes. Lol
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Anything special about how you were storing these Ya Li? Just set them in a refrigerator?
Yes, in a refrigerator. Don’t know what I’ll do when all our orchard trees start producing. Probably have to build a root cellar.
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I put them in a plastic bag in fridge.
I have Cold Snap, but the deer got through my armament twice, so it is still recovering from its pruning.
Updated list of storage pears:
| Variety | Uses |
|---|---|
| Abate Fetel | Fresh, Storage 5mo |
| Beurré Bosc | Storage 5mo |
| Beurré d’Anjou | Storage 3mo |
| Beurré de Nivelles | Storage 3mo |
| Beurré d’Hardenpont | Storage 3mo |
| Beurré Diel | Storage 3mo |
| Butirra Bachelier | Storage 3mo |
| Butirra Diel | Storage 3mo |
| Chojuro | Storage 5mo |
| Colmar Nelis | Storage 3mo |
| Daisui Li | Storage 6mo |
| Deveci | Storage 7mo |
| Doyenne d’Hiver | Storage 3mo |
| Doyenne du Comice | Storage 3mo |
| Duchesse dHiver | Storage 3mo |
| Easter Beurré | Storage 6mo |
| El Dorado | Storage 7mo+ |
| Figue d’Alençon | Storage 3mo |
| Grand Soleil | Storage 3mo |
| Jules d’Airoles | Storage 3mo |
| Kasper’s Winter | Storage 5mo |
| Kenko | Storage 8mo+ |
| Korean Giant | Storage 6mo |
| Leon Gregoire | Storage 3mo |
| Okusankichi | Storage 6mo+ |
| Orpheline D’Enghien | Storage 3mo |
| Packhams Triumph | Storage 6mo |
| Pai Li | Storage 7mo+ |
| Passe Colmar | Storage 3mo |
| Passe Crassane | Storage 6mo+ |
| Pound | Storage 5mo |
| Rogue Red | Storage 6mo+ |
| Royale d’Hiver | Storage 4mo+ |
| Saint Germain d’Hiver | Storage 3mo |
| Saint Luke | Storage 3mo |
| Saint Mathieu | Storage 3mo |
| Saint-Remy | Storage 5mo+ |
| Santa Claus | Storage 5mo |
| Shenandoah | Storage 5mo |
| Shin Li | Storage 7mo+ |
| Suij | Storage 5mo |
| Tardive de Toulouse | Storage 3mo |
| Taylor Apple Pear | Storage 8mo+ |
| Trionfo di Jodoigne | Storage 3mo |
| Tsu Li | Storage 6mo |
| Vicar of Winkfield | Storage 4mo, cooking |
| Winter Kyrgyz | Storage 6mo+ |
| Winter Nelis | Storage, preserves |
| Ya Li | Storage 6mo |
| Zephirin Gregoire | Storage 3mo |
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Josephine de Maline 5 mo.
Belle Picard 6+ mo.
Winter Kyrgyz 6+ mo.
Abbe Fetel 5+ mo.
I have also seen reports of Bell and Gem storing for 5 mo. or more.