Asian Pears
Yesterday i listened to a talk on Asian Pears. Well... actually
there wasn't a talk. The person got up to speak and the audience
immediately interjected questions. For the next hour it was non
stop questions.
Most of the answers were oriented towards commercial growers
and it sounded organic. This is a short summary of his answers.
He sells gift boxes and seems willing to answer questions. The
web page is Http://www.ore-asia.com
Asian Pears are: easy to grow
do well in cool climates
heavy producers
not well understood by consumers
have hundreds of named types
fit in small areas on trellis
some are partially self fertile
His care program goes like this:
1. thin twice. 30 days and 60 days after bloom
2. Spray with copper after fruit harvest
3. Prune around Jan. (Soon after dormant)
In this area the pests to watch for are:
1. early spring - leaf rollers, control with bt
2. next watch for coddling moth, control with traps
3. next a bacterial blight "pseudomonass syringae" hits
and looks like fire blight. control with pruning
and copper sprays.
Shinko is one of the best keepers and can be stored till March
For best production the tree can be tuned by thinning. This was
discussed in great detail and was interesting. Also, how and
what is thinned impacts tree vigor and fruit quality.
Most varieties turn color when ripe and the seeds become brown
or black. The outside remains firm. They can be picked a little
early. Often the skin turns color as they ripen. This fools
consumers because not all Asians turn yellow.
----
I grow 7 or 8 different Asian pears along with many standard
pears and so far the Asians have produced 90 percent of our
pears. My care program includes thinning once in the spring
and pruning in mid winter. That's it. No spraying.
Some interesting things to do with Asian pears:
1. include in stir-fries
2. dry the non grainy types (20th century)
3. replace the apples in "apple pie"
We have one tree that Julie claims tastes just like butterscotch
and is always eaten fresh. Generally the butterscotch pears
are consumed within ten feet of the tree and we have never managed
to store any.
jeff (loves Asian pears)
