A medium-sized pear provides about 100 calories, 4 g of dietary fiber, and a fair amount of potassium. They are an excellent choice when you've grown weary of winter's bananas and citrus fruit. Pears are a very versatile fruit, though many of us prefer to eat them out-of-hand. Pears can be used in a fruit sauce, compotes, relishes, pies, breads and muffins, salads, and in many other fruit-based recipes.

 

 

Anjou-pears are known as a "salad pear," which means that they are best eaten out of hand, and not cooked. The Anjou is sweet and juicy and shows no color change during ripening — it stays bright green.

Bosc- pears are excellent for baking, poaching, or broiling, and work well in microwave recipes. Bosc pears also do not change color when they ripen. They remain golden brown.

 

Comice- pears are one of the sweetest and juiciest of all pears. These are true dessert pears and can also be used in salads or as an accompaniment to fine cheese.

 

Forelle- pears are smaller pears, with a brilliant red blush color. They are an excellent snacking pear — perfect for a lunch box!

 

Nelis- pears are all-purpose pears — good for canning, baking or snacking. These are squat, green pears with brown freckling.

 

Seckel- pears are tiny and ultra-sweet. They are good for pickling or as a snack.

 

Pears are one of the few fruits that do not mature well if allowed to ripen on the tree. As a result, they are picked before they ripen, which is why they appear in the supermarket so hard and unripe. Because of this, you need to plan in advance.

 

Buy pears a few days before you will need them, then place them in a paper bag at room temperature - being sure to check them daily for signs of progress. Most varieties do not change color as they ripen, but will yield to gentle pressure at the stem end. Refrigerate ripened pears to retard further ripening, or eat at once.

 

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