Pears
Introduction
Varieties
Five major varieties are grown in Ontario: Bartlett (the overwhelming favorite), Clapp's Favourite, Anjou, Bosc and Flemish Beauty.
Bartlett, the most common pear world-wide, is bell-shaped, sweet and soft with a light green skin that turns yellow when ripe.
Clapp's Favourite is similar in shape, with white flesh and exceptional sweetness. Its skin turns golden yellow when ripe.
Anjou is more egg-shaped, very aromatic and mildly sweet; the skin shows only traces of yellow over green when ripe.
Bosc has an elegant elongated shape with a slender neck; fine textured, russet colored and still relatively crunchy when ripe.
Flemish Beauty is roundish, with thick clear yellow skin speckled with red when ripe. The creamy colored flesh becomes meltingly tender when ripe.
Nutrition
One medium pear (160 g) has about 100 calories, is a good source of fiber and a source of Vitamin C, potassium and folacin.
History
Originating in eastern Asia or China, the pear is related to the rose. It's thousands of years old and has produced literally thousands of varieties of itself.
One of the first fruits to be brought to North America from Europe, pear trees were growing 350 years ago in the Massachusetts Bay colony.
