From Tree to Table: Celebrating the Pear Harvest Season

The beginning of fall means the pears are ready for harvest

Yellow-gold like sunshine, soft like butter, glossy leaves – these are the pears harvested from my backyard tree. The fruit from this tree starts out green, and then ripens to a canary yellow, some slightly crimson-kissed by the sun. They’re smaller than the ones you’d find in the grocery store, but I think they pack an even sweeter flavor. They serve as an incredibly delicious treat I look forward to every fall.

So delicious, in fact, that I’ve always eaten them straight. This year however, I wanted to actually bake with them rather than inhaling them in five seconds flat, and I wanted learn more about their particular variety in order to celebrate these tasty pomes.

Now, I don’t usually think to research the whole foods I eat beyond nutritional value. But learning more about the fruits of the earth lends a nuance to the fare we consume on a daily basis. Learning about their history and even their ancient symbology and associations can give you a little extra appreciation for what’s on your plate.

So, allow me to re-introduce you to a fall staple: the Pear, or Pirus in Latin.

Pear blossoms, while beautiful, unfortunately smell quite the opposite of their fruits

A gift of the Gods

And without the courtyard by the door is a great garden, of four plough-gates,

and a hedge runs round on either side. And there grow tall trees blossoming,

pear-trees and pomegranates, and apple-trees with bright fruits, and sweet

figs, and olives in their bloom. …. Pear upon pear waxes old, and apple on

apple, yea, and cluster ripens upon cluster of the grape, and fig upon fig.

…..These were the splendid gifts of the gods in the palace of Alcinöus.

-A passage from The Odyssey

A glimpse at the pear yesterday and today

Pears have been a part of culture and mythology for centuries and are one of the few fruits to have a long log in history, as far back as 1,000 B.C. Dried pears were even found in an ice age cave dwelling in Switzerland.

In ancient China, pears were seen as a symbol of immortality, since the trees were long lasting with some reaching 250 years of age. In Europe, this idea was continued with the custom of planting a fruit tree at a wedding to symbolize longevity, and then an apple tree for the birth of a boy in the family, or a pear tree for the birth of a girl.

There’re more than 3,000 cultivars of pears, with the United States being one of the greatest producers. To avoid bruising, pears are each picked by hand. They’re also unique in that they’re plucked when they reach maturity, yet always before fully ripening. If left on the tree, they become mealy, and no one wants a mealy pear.

I think about my tree, knowing it’s not particularly old, and wonder if it will outlive me. Either way, I hope it will continue to grow and fruit for many years ahead.

Paring names of a pair of pears

The pear tree in my backyard was not one I had planted myself, so I was unsure of the variety. It was quite easy to determine, however, by simply looking up what cultivars grow in my area and matching photos to the yellow fruit. This was how I learned that I had a Bartlett tree, one of the most commonly grown varieties!

Interestingly, this pear does go by another name most used in England, referred to as a Williams pear. Traveling back in time to 1765, it was originally called Stair’s Pear, named after its English founder, John Stair. A nurseryman named Williams later acquired cuttings and commercialized the fruit, naming it after himself.

The pear eventually came to America, where they were imported and planted on the estate of a man named Thomas Brewer. A later owner of the estate, Enoch Bartlett, named the pear after himself and soon introduced the variety. No one knew the Bartlett pear was the same as the William’s pear until 1828, when the trees from America arrived in England. A sneaky pear indeed.

“Slice a pear and you will find that its flesh is incandescent white. It glows with inner light. Those who carry a knife and a pear are never afraid of the dark.”

–Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

Pear upside down cake

To fully appreciate the pears, I wanted to experience the fruits of my own labor by doing some baking. While not particularly labor intensive, an upside cake results in an impressive looking dessert.

I used a vegan recipe from Risha Cooks found here.

The pears had already been picked, washed in vinegar, and ripening for about two weeks.

Simple ingredients – most should be on hand. The only thing I was missing was a lemon

Pear puree achieved via mortar and pestle

Since the pears were on the smaller side, this left room for a more detailed design for the upside down aspect. I ended up arranging the slices like a sun burst, very methodically placed in the beginning, and then later haphazardly added to fill the space. So it goes. Next time, I will cut the slices a tad thicker.

And the final results…

Upside down cake achieved! The pears shifted around a little from having the batter added to the pan, but the finished cake turned out fairly pleasing. The cake itself had nice moisture, edges of crispy baked maple syrup, and the sweet/tart addition of the pears. I would recommend.

It’s a pear-adise

I hope you enjoy pears of any variety this fall season, whether store bought, from a farm, or picked yourself. Here’re are a few additional ways to get to know the pear:

To pair your pears with a book, read The Great Book of Pears by Barbara Flores or Pears: A Country Garden Cookbook by Janet Hazen
Check out a pear variety guide to learn more about different cultivars
And lastly, gaze upon Still life of Pears and a Butterfly by Giovanna Garzoni, 1640

We live in a Pear-adasie, after all 🍐