We have six pear trees of three varieties in our cordon orchard that was planted in 2014. This was the first year that we got pears from these trees- a small number of very large pears of each kind. In my attempt to chronical the annual progress of the orchard, here is a brief description of the pear varieties we planted.
Conference pear- Conference is by far the most widely grown pear in north-west Europe. The variety was found in 1884 as an open pollinated seedling, from a Leon Leclerc de Laval, and cultivated by Thomas Rivers, from Sawbridgeworth in England. It was named ‘Conference’ in 1895 after the ‘British National Pear Conference’ where it was first exhibited. Not long after, this variety occupied a major position within European pear cultivation, due not only to its good flavour characteristics but also to its excellent storage properties. During the last few decades the quality of Conference has been further improved following changes to cultivation techniques, making it the highest in pear cultivation in the Netherlands and Belgium. Ready for harvest mid september, the conference is a medium sized pear with an elongated bottle, and is suitable for fresh-cut processing. The skin is thick greenish-brown, becoming pale yellow when ripe, with a moderate amount of russet. The flesh is white, but turns pale yellow when the pear is ripe. The texture is very fine and soft, and the flavour is sweet.
From European heritage, to local Pacific Westcoast modern varieties…
Orcas Pear- Discovered on Orcas Island, Washington, and introduced in 1986, this excellent, disease-resistant variety produces good crops of very large and attractive, carmine blushed, yellow pears with smooth, sweet, buttery flesh. Excellent for fresh eating, canning and drying, Orcas Pear is very reliable and productive and ripens in early to mid-September. These beautiful and tasty Pears can weigh of 1 lb. each! The Orcas is included in the gardens of the Western Washington Fruit Research Foundation, which works to advance fruit horticultural programs for the unique Western Washington maritime climate through advocacy, research, education, and demonstration for the benefit of the general public and the small farmer.
Rescue Pear- This very large, attractive, yellow fruit with reddish-orange blush is sweet, juicy and flavorful, and great for fresh eating and drying. Well adapted to our Pacific Northwest growing conditions, Rescue is a vigorous, productive, and reliable variety. The rescue pear was found by Knox Nomura, a nursery grower near Buckley, WA. He had seen the pear at fruit shows but the exhibitor never allowed anyone to take cuttings from his tree during his lifetime, and after his death the tree was scheduled for removal to expand an adjacent cemetery. Knox Nomura “rescued” scionwood from this original tree, and sent trees to Mount Vernon in 1975 for testing. Introduced in 1987. Ripens early september.
We deeply enjoyed tasting these home grown pears and getting to know their unique qualities. I look forwards to the maturing of these young trees and the productivity that will flourish as I learn the best pruning techniques for the cordon espalier system that they have been established on.
Inspirational Village 