When is Pear Season and Types of Pears and Pear Nutrition

All you need to know about Types of Pears, When is Pear Season and Pear Health Benefits.

Available from August through October, more than 95% of the ones grown in the U.S. come from western states like California, Washington and Oregon. Some of the most popular varieties are the juicy and sweet Bartlett (green), firm and crunchy Bosc (brown) and the sweet Anjou (green or red).

Pear season available from August through October.

When Are Pears Ripe

Pears are picked mature but unripe and need to be ripened on the counter before they’re sweet enough to eat. “Check the neck” to tell if they’re ready.

Just-picked or purchased pears should be ripened at room temperature. On the counter is fine, but keep unripened pears out of the ‘fridge. Once ripe, you can store pears in the refrigerator. The cold temperatures will slow the ripening process and they’ll keep for 3 to 5 days.

There are a few ways to speed up the ripening process apart from leaving pears on the kitchen counter. Putting them in a bowl with other ripening fruits or in a paper bag allows the ethylene ( a gas naturally given off during the ripening process) to speed the process along.

A pear becomes overripe once it starts to squish around the middle, but that doesn’t mean they should be tossed out. Overripe pears can lend texture and sweetness to soups, smoothies and other purees.

When is Pear Season

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Types of Pears

1. Forelle Pear

Characteristics: This pear is easy to identify due to its small size, ovalish shape, smooth skin, and striking yellowish-green freckled skin, which turns a beautiful red as it ripens. Sweet and delicate, Forelles are an old European variety. Because of their sweetness and size, Forelles are a good fruit choice for young children’s snacks.

2. Bosc Pear

Alternate Name: Kaiser Pears

Characteristics: The Bosc pear stands a head taller than other pears with its elongated slender neck. The brown pear has a relatively rough texture and can have hints of yellow or green. The pear’s white flesh is sweet, crisp, and firm to the touch. If a recipe calls for poaching, Bosc pears are a good choice since they will keep their shape and not turn to mush. They’re also good for eating raw and baking.

3. Bartlett Pear

Alternate Names: Williams pear, Williams’ Bon Chrétien pear

Characteristics: Barlett pears come in both yellow and red; red Bartletts are common throughout the U.S. Other than a difference in color, the two varieties share many qualities: a delicate thin skin, a sweet taste, and a bite that’s juicy and soft. The Bartlett is one of the older pear varieties, first developed in the late 1700s in the United States. Bartletts used to make up most of America’s pear production (they have since given way to Anjou and Boscs), and they are still the most popular variety in the country. Most canned and processed pears (purées, juices) are made from Bartletts. Use the Bartlett when baking.

4. Taylor’s Gold Pear

Alternate Names: Gold Pear, Taylor’s Golden

Characteristics: Related to the Comice pear, this large New Zealand pear is almost round and has a golden-brown skin. Its sweet juicy flesh is so smooth that it almost melts in your mouth. This is a good pear for making jams, jellies, and sauces.

5. Anjous Pear

Alternate Names: Anjou, d’Anjou, Beurre d’Anjou, Green Anjou, Red Anjou

Characteristics: Of the two types of Anjou pears, the green pears are easier to find, although red Anjous are gaining ground. Short, squat, and very plump, these pears look as if they almost have no neck—giving them an egg-like appearance. Both varieties have a smooth skin with flesh that’s juicy and firm. Green Anjous stay green, even when fully ripened. These are best eaten raw.

6. Asian Pear

Alternate Names: nashi pear, Japanese pear, Korean pear, Taiwan Pear, sand pear, apple pear

Characteristics: This apple-shaped pear is unusual in many regards. First, it has a very unpearlike shape. Second, the skin’s texture is a little gritty and not as soft as that of other pears. Third, the flesh isn’t especially juicy (relatively speaking) and has a crispness that borders on crunchy. Fourth, it lacks a typical “pear” flavor. And finally, unlike many fruits, the Asian pear is ripe when it’s firm, not when it becomes more pliable to the touch. Take advantage of the Asian pear’s characteristics by eating it raw and in salads and slaws.

7. Comice Pear

Alternate Names: Doyenne du Comice, Christmas pear

Characteristics: Comice pears come in both red and green varieties. Comice red pears, however, are still relatively new, having been first found in the orchard in the 1970s). Both red and green Comice pears have skin that breaks very easily, and they are very sweet, creamy textured, and juicy. It’s popular in holiday gift fruit baskets, so it has become known as the “Christmas pear.” These pears aren’t ideal for poaching because of their relatively delicate nature and juiciness, but they’re great for baking and eating with cheese. Highly prized by the French, enjoy this pear with a good French Brie or another soft creamy fromage.
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Pear Health Benefits

Here are 9 impressive health benefits of pears.

• Highly nutritious. Pears come in many different varieties.
• May promote gut health.
• Contain beneficial plant compounds.
• Have anti-inflammatory properties.
• May offer anticancer effects.
• Linked to a lower risk of diabetes.
• May boost heart health.
• May help you lose weight.

Pear Nutritious

A medium-sized pear (178 grams) provides the following nutrients (2Trusted Source):

• Calories: 101
• Protein: 1 gram
• Carbs: 27 grams
• Fiber: 6 grams
• Vitamin C: 12% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin K: 6% of DV
• Potassium: 4% of the DV
• Copper: 16% of DV

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