Cultural history – How did the pear come to us?
Along with the apple, the pear is one of the oldest cultivated plants cultivated by humans, and they share a long shared history. Both fruit varieties were cultivated and cultivated in China as early as 7,000 years ago. Greek mythology even says that pears are a "gift from God." Thus, through targeted breeding and random production, a multitude of pear varieties emerged: 40 varieties from the ancient Romans, 300 varieties in 17th-century France, and around 1,000 varieties in the 19th century. Today, this number has even surpassed, and an estimated 5,000 pear varieties are now known worldwide.
Varieties – Which are recommended?
Depending on the ripening time, pears are divided into summer, early autumn, autumn and winter varieties.
The most popular summer varieties include:
Williams Christmas Pear:
Ripe from mid-August/early September, ready to eat until the end of October
Early from Trevoux:
Ready to pick and eat from August, only keeps for two to three weeks
Stuttgart goatherd:
Ready for picking at the end of August, ready to eat until September
The most popular early autumn varieties include:
Gellert's Butter Pear:
Ready for picking from the beginning of September, ready to eat until October
Good Luise:
Ready to pick from early/mid-September, ready to eat from late September, best before January
The most popular autumn varieties include:
Conference:
Ready to pick and eat from September, can be stored until October if picked hard
Condominium:
Ready for picking from September, ready for consumption from October to December
Charles Ernest:
Ready for picking September/October, keep until November
Delicious from Charneu:
Ready to pick and eat from mid-October, can be kept until the beginning of November
Alexander Lucas:
Ready to pick from September/October, harvest green for storage (at about 0.5°C), keep until January
Jules d'Airolles:
Ready to pick from October, can be stored for a while, can be kept until December
The most popular winter varieties include:
Pastor's pear:
Ready for picking from October, ready for consumption December/January, warm locations preferred
Countess of Paris:
Ready to pick/eat in November, can be kept until January
Nordhausen Trout Pear:
Ready for picking from October, ready to eat from the end of November, best before January
Madame Verte:
Ready for picking from October, ready for consumption from December, best before February
TEXT: Carina Naeve
