The common pear, Pyrus Communis, Pyrus Communis, is a fruit nobody pays attention to. Pear is a major fruit tree in the Rosaceae family. Pears need a PR campaign. They definitely don’t get the buzz that they should. Pears don’t come easy. Trees require a long maturation period, known as juvenile phase, before they can reproduce, complicating their genetic improvement as compared to annual plants. 'Spadona', one of the most important European pear (Pyrus communis L.) cultivars grown in Israel, has a very long juvenile period, up to 14 years, making breeding programs extremely slow. [i] 

Pears typically are medium-sized trees, reaching 10 to 17 meters in height, often with a tall, narrow crown. A few species are shrubs, being smaller in height. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, 2–12 centimeters long, glossy green on some species, densely silvery-hairy in some others. The leaf shape varies from broad oval to narrow lanceolate.[ii]

Most pears are deciduous, but one or two species in Southeast Asia are evergreen. Most are cold-hardy, withstanding temperatures between −25 °C and −40 °C in winter, except for the evergreen species, which only tolerate temperatures down to about −15 °C. Cold in the winter is needed to break dormancy. Most pears require about 900 to 1,000 chill hours to break dormancy, but some cultivars exist that have lower chill requirements, and many Asian cultivars have lower chill requirements and can be grown as far south as northern Florida (Riegel 2006).

10 Pear Facts:[iii]

1. There are over 3000 varieties of pears worldwide.

2. The majority of pears sold in the United States are grown on the west coast, mainly Oregon and Washington.

3. The United States is one of the largest producers of pears in the world.

4. A medium pear has about 100 calories.

5. Although pears mature on the tree, they ripen best off the tree.

6. Every United States pears are picked by hand.

7. Pears are one of the few fruits that have an extensive history, reaching back to about 1000 B.C.

8. Pears used to be called “butter fruit” for its soft, butter-like texture.

9. Pears are a part of the rose family.

10. Pear tree wood is often times used to construct musical instruments, furniture, and other wooden décor.

French: poire

French: poire

Romanian: pară

German: birne

Chinese: 梨 (li)

Greek: αχλάδι

Matthew 7:17 ESV

So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

Pears are one of the few fruits you have to harvest before they are ripe. This can be late July to early August.[i] Once they get to baseball/softball size, they should be ready to pick. They will also easily come off the tree.

Who eats the most pears?[ii]

MT means metric tons, of course.

History

Pears are one of the world’s oldest cultivated and beloved fruits. In 5,000 B.C., Feng Li, a Chinese diplomat, abandoned his responsibilities when he became consumed by grafting peaches, almonds, persimmons, pears and apples as a commercial venture. In The Odyssey, the Greek poet laureate Homer lauds pears as a “gift of the gods.” Pomona, goddess of fruit, was a cherished member of the Roman Pantheon and Roman farmers documented extensive pear growing and grafting techniques. Thanks to their versatility and long storage life, pears were a valuable and much-desired commodity among the trading routes of the ancient world. Evident in the works of Renaissance Masters, pears have long been an elegant still-life muse for artists. In the 17th century a great flourishing of modern pear variety cultivation began taking place in Europe. And in popular culture, the pear tree was immortalized alongside a partridge in the 18th-century Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Early colonists brought the first pear trees to America’s eastern settlements where they thrived until crop blights proved too severe to sustain widespread cultivation. Fortunately, the pear trees brought west to Oregon and Washington by pioneers in the 1800’s thrived in the unique agricultural conditions found in the Pacific Northwest. Today’s Northwest pear varieties are the same or similar to those first cultivated in France and Belgium where they were prized for their delicate flavor, buttery texture, and long storage life.[iii]

 Highly nutritious

A medium-sized pear provides the following nutrients (2Trusted Source):[iv]

1. Calories: 101

2. Protein: 1 gram (g)

3. Carbs: 27 g

4. Fiber: 6 g

5. Vitamin C: 9% of the Daily Value (DV)

6. Vitamin K: 7% of DV

7. Potassium: 4% of the DV

8. Copper: 16% of DV

People who eat lots of anthocyanin-rich fruits, such as pears, have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a Harvard study which included about 200,000 men and women.[v]

Also, pears, like most fruits, are a fat-free, nutrient-dense food that can help fill you up and keep you satisfied.

Queen Elizabeth II had civilized way of eating 'pears':

Queen Elizabeth II had an unusual way of eating a pear, reveals former Royal chef.

Her Majesty, who was famous for her etiquettes, ate the fruit like a boiled egg.

Chef Darren McGrady spills: “She eats her pears like boiled eggs. She'll cut off the top and scoop out the insides with a spoon," he reportedly said.[i]

Pear Pomace and Atopic Dermatitis.

Poorly regulated inflammation is believed to be the most predominant factor that can result in a wide scope of diseases including atopic dermatitis (AD). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pear pomace ethanol extract (PPE) on AD by inhibiting inflammation.[ii]

Materials/methods: In the in vivo experiment, 2, 4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was applied to NC/Nga mice to induce AD-like skin lesions. After the induction, PPE was administered daily by oral gavage for 4 weeks. The clinical severity score, serum IgE levels, spleen weight, histological changes in dorsal skin, and inflammation-related proteins were measured.

Results: Compared to the AD control (AD-C) group, IgE levels were dramatically decreased via PPE treatment. PPE significantly reduced scratching behavior, improved skin symptoms, and decreased ear thickness compared to the AD-C group. In addition, PPE inhibited the DNCB-induced expression of inducible nitrite oxide synthase (iNOS), the receptor for advanced glycation end products, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2, and NF-κB. PPE inhibited the LPS-induced overproduction of NO and the enhanced expression of iNOS and cyclooxygenase-2. Moreover, the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NF-κB in RAW 264.7 cells was suppressed by PPE.

[i] https://www.geo.tv/latest/504015-queen-elizabeth-ii-had-civilized-way-of-eating-pears-read

[ii] You M, Wang Z, Kim HJ, Lee YH, Kim HA. Pear pomace alleviated atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice and inhibited LPS-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Nutr Res Pract. 2022 Oct;16(5):577-588.

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22203321/

[1] https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Pear

[1] https://www.thatsitfruit.com/blogs/default-blog/blogpears-10-interesting-facts-about-the-fruit

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuMYoyfu3oA

[1] https://www.indexmundi.com/agriculture/?commodity=pears&graph=domestic-consumption

[1] https://usapears.org/history-of-pears/#:~:text=Thanks%20to%20their%20versatility%20and,still%2Dlife%20muse%20for%20artists.

[1] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-pears#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3

[1] https://usapears.org/research-and-findings/#:~:text=People%20who%20eat%20lots%20of,up%20and%20keep%20you%20satisfied.

[1] https://www.geo.tv/latest/504015-queen-elizabeth-ii-had-civilized-way-of-eating-pears-read

[1] You M, Wang Z, Kim HJ, Lee YH, Kim HA. Pear pomace alleviated atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice and inhibited LPS-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Nutr Res Pract. 2022 Oct;16(5):577-588.