Pear trees bring a decorative touch to the orchard in the spring because of their abundant flowering. Their large bouquets of white flowers are a real delight and the promise of beautiful harvests spread out, from July until the heart of winter depending on the varieties grown. Between pears for the mouth to be tasted as is, those which excel in cooking and pears to be fermented allowing the production of Poiré or even an eau-de-vie, there are more than two thousand varieties. This means that the choice is vast. Here is a selection of pear trees that deserve their place in the garden and some details to know about their pears before making your choice.
Varieties of pears excellent for growing in the garden
Here is a small panel of varieties of pear trees whose pears have all the qualities to satisfy the most demanding palates of young and old. These young pear trees with bare roots or in containers for planting can be found without any difficulty.
Variety
|
Fruit
|
Chair
|
Utilisation
|
Maturity
|
Conservation
|
Cocomerina
|
Round / green
|
Blood pear, red flesh, juicy, very tasty
|
Jam, Compote,
in the oven,
|
September October
|
2 to 3 weeks maximum
|
Conference
|
Lying / yellow green
|
Juicy, moderately tart, sweet
|
Crue,
Cooked
|
Early September
|
4 to 5 months
|
Deanery of Comice
|
Large to very large / Greenish yellow, red patches in full sun
|
Melting, great finesse, melting, juicy, very sweet
|
Crue
|
Mi-septembre
|
4 to 5 months
|
Packham’s Triumph
|
Yellow with scorches
|
Fine, melting, reasonably sweet
|
October November
|
4 to 5 months
|
|
Dr Jules Guyot
|
Lemon yellow and green, slightly pink
|
Fine, juicy, sweet
|
Crue
|
July / August (early variety)
|
1 to 2 months
|
Louise Bonne d’Avranches (good fertility)
|
Brilliant light green washed with carmine, fading to yellow
|
Fragrant, juicy, sweet (becomes overripe at the end of the ripening period)
|
Crue
Cooked
|
September October
|
3 to 4 months (if picked very ripe)
|
General Leclerc
|
Trapus, roux bronze,
|
Juicy, fragrant, very pleasant in the mouth
|
Crue
|
October November
|
3 to 4 months
|
Duke of Bordeaux
|
Yellow, blushes with insolation
|
White, fine, melting, fragrant, sweet
|
Crue
Cooked
|
End of October
|
3 to 4 months
|
Good Christian Williams
|
Large fruit, golden yellow with red spots
|
Fine, melting, juicy, sweet, deliciously musky flavor
|
Crue
|
August September
|
3 months
|
Max red Bartlett (ou Williams Rouge)
|
Dark red
|
Melting, ultra fragrant, less musky but juicier and sweeter than the Williams from which it is a mutation
|
Crue
|
Mid August
|
3 to 4 months
|
Jeanne D’Arc
|
Light yellow, pink in insolation
|
White with a beautiful finesse, juicy, sweet, slightly acidulous, very fragrant
|
Crue
Cooked
|
November
|
1 to 2 months
|
Countess of Paris
|
Smooth, greenish yellow with brown dots
|
Juicy, very sweet, strong taste
|
Crue
Cooked
|
Until November
|
3 to 4 months
|
Alexandrine Douillard
|
Ribbed, elongated, yellow speckled with red
|
White, fine, melting, juicy, sweet, buttery flavor
|
Crue
Cooked
|
Mid-September / October
|
Very short, 10 to 15 days (becomes pasty)
|
Angelys
|
Brown, rough, thick skin
|
Fine, melting, very juicy, well-balanced flavor,
|
Crue
|
End of September / October
|
2 to 3 weeks
|
Buttered Hardy
|
Greenish yellow washed with fawn
|
Fondant, excellent taste quality
|
Crue
Cooked (sweet/salty)
|
October
|
1 month
|
Lady Thigh
|
Elongated shape / Yellow speckled with russet and washed with carmine
|
Slight astringency if insufficiently ripe/melting, juicy, sweet
|
To be eaten very ripe
|
July (early variety)
|
2 to 3 months (until October)
|
Passe-Crassane
|
Coppery green to mottled golden yellow
|
White, fine, very slightly grainy, melting, sweet, fragrant
|
Crue
|
September to March
|
3 months
|
The pear is a thirst quencher that we like to taste whatever the season. Rich in water, it has, among other things, a good vitamin C content. Note that the Williams pear tree (Bon Chrétien Williams) is the most cultivated. But the others produce pears that deserve a place of choice in the orchard.
You should also know that all pears, even those which are reputed to be delicious in fruit with a knife or in juice, can of course be cooked. They can therefore also be eaten cooked in different ways, to accompany savory dishes, but also in cakes, tarts, compotes, mousses, sorbets and others, thus satisfying all tastes. They can finally be distilled, but the result obtained, however delicious it may be, must be consumed in moderation…
Tips for Choosing Which Pear Trees to Grow
We choose a pear tree taking into account the specificities of its fruits, that is to say their taste quality and the particularity of their flesh which can be more or less melting or juicy, with a musky flavor or not, little or very sweet… But to hope for good harvests, at least two pear trees close to each other are necessary since the setting of fruit imposes a cross pollination between compatible pear trees. This is therefore a crucial point to consider when buying this type of fruit tree from a producer or garden centre. But there is not too much to worry about: many combinations are possible and allow qualitative pollination of pear trees. However, it is always useful to inquire with an adviser generally available to customers, regardless of the point of sale.
Store your pears in good conditions
Early varieties wilt quickly, so it is recommended to pick them before they are full. maturity. But whatever the variety grown, early or winter, it is very important to eat pears that have fallen from the tree very quickly because they spoil very quickly. They should therefore not be mixed with those intended for conservation en cave.
Guard pears must be stored in a dark, well-ventilated, non-humid and clean room. The same principle is applied as for apples: the fruits are placed delicately in wooden crates or shelves, in one layer, and care is taken that the pears do not touch each other. In this way, they can be stored without problem (for a few weeks or several months depending on the variety) and allow a consumption as needed of the family.
Finally, to avoid the risk of losing your stock of pears, every week or even more frequently it is very important check the condition of pears stored for long-term storage. Fruits that begin to spoil must be removed so that the others are preserved.