CRUNCHY ASIAN PEARS GROWN AT HOME ARE DELICIOUS, INEXPENSIVE

I stopped by the friendly supermarket to make a purchase in the produce section the other day. As things turned out, it was the most expensive fruit I've ever bought! I needed an Asian pear to show on my television garden segment to compare with those being harvested from my backyard trees. I'm growing a gold mine!

The store-bought pear cost 85 cents at $1.89 per pound. The size was about the same as the larger ones on my tree and quality was not as good. Whether you like that special classification of fruit depends on your taste and which of the several varieties you might have tried.I showed a nice yellow Bartlett pear also. After we finished taping the TV program, the photographer and I did some taste testing. We agreed that the Asian pears lack the distinct lively flavor of the Bartlett. However, their definite crunch, more like an apple, and their extreme juiciness had a pleasing influence on the palate.

The Asian pears do not require a ripening period after harvest and are suited for fresh eating only, not to process. They can be cooked or made into pies. Their juiciness is emphasized in these instructions:

"To bake in pies, compensate for the fruit's higher water content by using about 50 percent more thickening than for regular pears."

Asian pears are becoming more popular. Orchards in California, Oregon and Washington supply markets from late July until October. The fruit that is picked ready to eat will keep nicely at room temperature for a week or more. When refrigerated, they're in good condition for up to three months, so the season you can buy them is extended.

Asian pears have been grown in California since gold rush days when Chinese miners brought in and planted seeds along the streams of the Sierra Nevada. Later Chinese and Japanese immigrants brought more seed and scion wood from varieties cultivated in Japan and China. A few California orchards were established near the beginning of the century. Some of them were the Chinese Sha Lea, but the Japanese varieties Chojuro (brown, russet) and Twentieth Century comprise more of the commercial acreage planted later.

The Oriental pear is a different species than the Pyrus communis varieties such as Bartlett, Anjou and Comice. Those of Chinese origin include Tsu Li, Sha Li and Ya Li. They have necks shorter than those on Bartletts. There are many Japanese varieties. Besides those mentioned above, Shinseiki, Kikusui, Doitsu, Ishiiwase and Hosui are listed in articles that discuss their culture and attributes. Most of these are round rather than pear-shaped.

Asian varieties aren't identified at markets. That may be the reason I wasn't impressed by the fruit quality in my limited sampling - there's a wide difference in flavor, texture, sweetness and graininess among the varieties.

There are probably at least two reasons for my favorable impression of homegrown Asian pears: First, I can harvest and eat them at the proper stage, and second, I know that I have superior types. And of course, everything you grow yourself tastes better!

My earliest ripening variety is Shinseiki. It's my favorite. Talk about juicy - the fruit literally drips and there's flavor there, not just sugar water. It's yellow and larger than the other two in my yard.

Shinko is a newer variety that is of excellent quality. After long periods of cool storage, the flavor is good and flesh firm even though the skin gets wrinkled. Shinko is quite large and has a distinctive russet skin. It becomes fully ripe in late September.

Ishiiwase is my third tree. The California publication "Asian Pear Varieties" describes it as an "undistinguished variety." Sunset magazine in September 1984 had a very informative article entitled "The Crunch Pears" and said Ishiiwase "received mixed reviews." It's sweet and juicy but lacks flavor.

Here are some other varieties that you should look for when purchasing trees: Chojuro has been around a long time as mentioned earlier. Its aromatic flavor is really praised by some tasters and criticized by others. If you buy pears in the market, it could well be Chojuro. It's quite large and has an attractive russet-brown skin.

Hosui is another bronze-skinned pear that is extra large and attractive. It has excellent storage quality and can keep even until February in cold storage.

The only Asian pear orchard in Utah is in Draper. Thomas Akagi had about 1,000 trees of Twentieth Century. They were planted more than 30 years ago by his father. Before World War II, he farmed in Tulare County, California, where most of the Asian pears were grown. After internment in Idaho, he and his family moved to Draper and continued farming and cultivating orchards. Akagi has sold all his pears to Oriental markets or to visitors to his Draper farm each year. Word spreads about his unusual crop and "hundreds of customers" show up to buy them.

I planted a Twentieth Century tree in the fall of 1988 because I was impressed with the fruit I sampled at Akagi's Draper orchard. It won't be long until I have fruit because the Oriental pears come into bearing faster than do Bartletts.

If you're looking for a tree than not everyone has, try the Oriental pear. It can be pruned to a medium-size tree and except for coddling-moth (apple worm) control, is easy to care for. The tree seems to be quite fire-blight and pear-sylla resistant, two problems that plague Bartlett pears.