Pears: Modern Production and Uses

In the early twenty-first century, Bartlett pears come from the counties of Sacramento, Mendocino, and Lake in California. The largest production of main-crop pears, however, comes from the high-desert districts of central Washington, chiefly bulk Bartlett, Beurré d’Anjou bound for cold storage, Beurré Bosc, and various red-skinned mutations of common varieties, which have had novelty value. Most sought are the Bartlett and related types from the Hood River district and Doyenné du Comice from the Rogue River district of Oregon. Winter Nelis has vanished from American production, and only Beurré Hardy (under the generic name French Butter Pear) has a limited following among pear fanciers. It is unfortunate that meritorious cultivars such as Gorham, Magness, Beurré Superfin, and Belle Lucrative, though no more costly to produce than Bartlett, are not found in American markets. And purely culinary varieties, such as are sold in Europe for cooking, are unknown in America.