Harvest to Table

Pear trees are best pruned in winter when they are dormant. There are several varieties of pear trees and habits of growth differ widely. All pear trees produce fruit from spurs on wood two- and three-years old. Fruiting spurs should be preserved when pear trees are pruned. For a backyard pear tree, you can choose [...]

Pears will grow almost everywhere apples grow and are nearly as cold tolerant. A standard pear tree requires about the same space as an apple tree and can be pruned to about 20 feet tall. Semi-dwarf pear trees grow to about 12 feet tall. There are two types of pears: European pears–with their classic pear [...]

Taste pears. There will be one that is just right for you. There are more than 5,000 varieties of pears. Of course, it is unlikely that you will ever be in the presence of more than a half-dozen varieties at once—even at the farm market. But, nonetheless, the taste of a pear can linger in [...]

Since pears—that is the European varieties–are plucked from the tree before they are ripe and cure to ripeness usually in a cool, dark place, how do you know a pear is ready for your bite? Well, there are two ways to choose a pear for eating out of hand: smell and feel. A ripe pear [...]