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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Asian pears (was Atlantic Queen pear)

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  • From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Asian pears (was Atlantic Queen pear)
  • Date: Sat, 09 May 2009 09:40:17 -0500


I'll start by saying that most so-called Asian type varieties exhibit near true flavor when harvested/consumed directly from the tree. A few (Olympic comes to mind) will develop enhanced flavors after a couple of months in refrigerated storage but this flavor change is subtle (perhaps a bit more of "butterscotch" than at harvest).


I'm absolutely the last person to judge subtle flavors, as you can tell from this story. Last year, I got my first (a total of three) Asian pears from my young "Starking Hardy Giant" (from Stark Bros., so who knows?) tree. I had absolutely no idea how to tell when it was ripe, so I just picked one in early September and tried it. Well, it was sweet, and good-tasting, but was it ripe? I didn't have the slightest idea.

So I waited awhile and tried another one. Same thing. Finally, much later (but unfortunately, I didn't note the date), I picked the last one. It was still hard, of course, and still sweet, and it was clearly - obviously - better-tasting than the other two. After that, even I could tell that the first two weren't ripe. But I still don't know if the last one was perfectly ripe (my guess is that it was), or how to tell when I should pick them (although the last one did develop something of a golden color).

Heh, heh. At any rate, I have neither the experience nor the taste buds to respond to your request. I just thought that my experience was kind of funny. I tend to like everything that I grow myself (clove currants being the exception), but my opinions aren't shared by others.

:-)

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

--
America has believed that in differentiation, not in uniformity, lies the path of progress. It acted on this belief; it has advanced human happiness, and it has prospered. - Louis D. Brandeis




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