The soft, butter texture of a ripe pear with its wonderful fragrance, flavor and sweetness, is unsurpassed in tree fruits. We offers European Pears that are great for fresh eating. These varieties are listed first and are in the order of first ripening. They have been grafted on semi-dwarf O.H.F. X 333 rootstock. Plant two different varieties for cross pollination.
Next, we have listed Perry Pears, European varieties traditionally juiced to make an alcoholic drink comparable to hard cider.
Plant availability by Season
Fall
Winter / Spring
Summer
All
Large yellow pear with a red blush. Flavorful all purpose variety with good scab resistance. Early mid-season ripening. Orcas European Pear originated in Orcas Island, WA.
Fairly large yellow skinned fruits in late summer that are soft, juicy and sweet when ripe. Parker European Pear may be the same as the old Belgian variety "Flemish Beauty". A University of Minnesota release, rated to Zone 3.
Known as "the sugar pear" for its extremely sweet and highly flavored, aromatic fruit. Excellent as a dessert pear, sweet as candy when dried, and also used for canning. Seckel European Pear is a self fertile variety in warmer parts of the country. In the North, it may require cross pollination to bear well. Large crops of small yellow/brown fruit on a naturally semi-dwarf tree. Resistant to fireblight but scab susceptible. Hardy and widely adapted. Zone 4-9.
Firm, brown winter pear with narrow neck. Highly aromatic, excellent flavor. A very old variety introduced from Belgium in 1807. Good fresh, dried, or cooked. Very good keeper - up to six months. Zone 5-9. Best pollinators for Bosc Europearn pear are Comice, Orcas, or Shipova.
