Some pears for your heirs
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- November 2, 2009
- 792
Fresh pears are coming into the markets now from the fertile orchards of pear growers in Oregon, Washington, and California. So popular have the varieties become that pears, which are on the market during the winter months, are sold fresh in greater quantities than Bartletts, including those for home canning.
The Bosc, the fall russet pear, is first to make its appearance on the market, following soon after the Bartlett and other summer varieties are marketed. Next in line is the Anjou, followed by the Comice and Nelis, completing the cycle for fresh pears on the market year 'round.
Pears have so many uses for out-of-hand eating. Besides the popular use for school lunches and packed lunches for workers, fresh pears are good served as a breakfast fruit or a lunch dessert. They make an attractive buffet piece when displayed in your prettiest bowl, and are ready at all times for the after school snack or mid-meal pick-up. As a bedtime snack, they have a special appeal for they are refreshing without giving a high calorie count before retiring. Keep fresh pears ready for out-of-hand eating all the time.
Fresh pears make notable contributions nutritionally as they supply important vitamins, A, B and C, together with essential minerals, notably copper and iron. They also furnish quick energy with levulose, a form of sugar about twice as sweet as cane sugar. Despite their luscious sweetness, pears are not high in calories, averaging 70 calories each. This is a definite advantage to those who want satisfying food that is low in calorie value.
Unlike many other fruits, the color of pears is not always an indication of ripeness. A simple way to determine ripeness is by the touch test. When the pear flesh yields to the pressure of the thumb or finger, they are ready to be chilled for eating. If the pears at your store are more firm than is desired for eating, they may be ripened by allowing them to remain at room temperature a day or two. As soon as they become ready for eating, they should be placed in the refrigerator to hold them.
To show the popularity of pears on the market during the winter months, production has doubled during the past eight years. Growers continue to improve the quality of pears, and through the work of the Oregon-Washington-California Pear Bureau, a program of conditioning and pre-ripening has been sponsored so pears now come to market ready to use. These improved pears have little resemblance to the hard pears of yesteryears.
If a pear is ripe, it will be enjoyed. Just wash and dry before packing in the lunch so it may be eaten without peeling.
A New Tapioca
Quick-cooking tapioca is always a mainstay for desserts, summer or winter. Here's a variation that may spring a surprise on your family - Fresh Ginger Tapioca.
Now, when pears are plentiful, this is an ideal combination for an unusual dessert. The spicy ginger steps up the flavor of the pears, and the cherries add just that little extra something that changes a recipe into a creation.
Fresh Ginger-Pear
Tapioca
2 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. ginger
3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
2 maraschino cherries, diced
2 Tbsp. cherry juice
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Combine water, sugar, salt, ginger and pears in saucepan. Simmer until pears are tender. Remove pears and set aside. Add enough water to liquid in saucepan to make 2 cups. Add quick-cooking tapioca to juice and water and mix well. Place over low or medium heat and cook until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Fold in pears, cherries, cherry juice and lemon juice. Cool, stirring occasionally. Chill. Serve with cream.
Pear Bread
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups pears, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans. In large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar and eggs, beat well. Stir in pears, pecans and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into the pear mixture; mix well. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean. Allow loaves to cool in pans before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Flavors Gone By includes recipes and articles collected from local publications circa 1930-1990, along with family favorites. Please send questions, comments or submissions to jwarden@gpubs.com.