From: "Richard L. Wagner" <rewagner@centurytel.net>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] want to talk about pears, for a bit
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:19:17 -0400
When I was a young man living in California I worked for a Sunsweet
dehydrator plant. We dried apples, apricots, plums, peaches, and pears.
The pears were ordinary Bartletts. They were never peeled. Only the
apples were peeled. Of all the fruit the pears were always the sweetest
by far. Dried peaches were tough but the pear's texture was moist and
'cheesy' my favorite of all followed by the apricots. Unfortunately the
only dried apricots I see in stores anymore are those @#$%& Asian
imports, pitted by having the seed pushed out like a cherry or olive
pit and small, pale, and flavorless. Those who have never eaten dried
pears can not imagine what a treat they are missing.