Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
rocky flesh, but it also turns it a rosy pink. Once cooked, a quince is not only beautiful but
also delicious, with a warm, spicy perfume.
Asian pears fall somewhere between quinces and European pears. Although the texture
is crisp, not melting, it falls short of being granular. And the Asian pear can be eaten raw
and straight from the tree. The flavor is pure pear - honeyed and slightly spicy. To correct
a common misimpression, Asian pears are not the result of a cross between a pear and
an apple, even though that is a fair description of the appearance of most varieties. Most
Asian pears are shaped like slightly flattened apples, though their skins tend much more
to bronze and russet rather than shiny red. One popular variety, the Ya Li, looks quite like
a Bartlett.
Pears
WHERE THEY'RE GROWN : Pear trees need more cold than most other fruit trees,
and they are susceptible to a wide variety of climatic ills. For this reason, between 90 and
95 percent of the total U.S. crop is grown in California, Washington and Oregon. The har-
vest begins in California's northern San Joaquin Valley in late July or early August. These
are Bartlett, or summer, pears, and although they are the first fruit on the market, they are
rarely the best. In mid-August to early September, better Bartletts from the cooler Lake
and Mendocino counties begin to arrive. Starting in mid-September, you find other vari-
eties of pears grown in the Pacific Northwest. These stay in the market into the following
spring but are best before Christmas.
