The Fruitguys News: My Pear has a First Name, it's O-S-C-A-R

My Pear has a First Name, it's O-S-C-A-R

Posted on October 13, 2008

What's in a name like Warren? A lot when Warren is also a pear. Warren pears, when ripe, slope gracefully into an arc of taste, shaped bulbous as former NFL lineman Warren Sapp, but far sweeter and without sappiness. This pear's smooth, buttery flavors overwhelm you like Dick Tracy's butter-yellow coat and hat (played on-screen by Warren Beatty). And as for health benefits -- you don't need to be a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine, like Warren S. Pear, M.D., PhD to understand why including these pears as part of your diet is a great idea. (He's real. You can Google it!)

Pears are an excellent source of potassium and Vitamin C, as well as dietary fiber that can help lower cholesterol. If Warren G. Harding (our 29th President) had eaten more pears, perhaps they could have prevented his fatal heart attack in San Francisco in 1923. The Warren Pear is perfect for eating when slightly firm, when the flesh around the stem gives to slight pressure. Ideally they should be eaten within five days, but refrigeration will slow the ripening process and preserve them, though reduce their flavor slightly.

Oscar Warren discovered the first Warren Pear tree by chance in Hattiesburg, Miss. Warren Pears are popular in the south but still rare in western states which makes us even more grateful for the wonderful crop you'll taste in west coast crates from our fourth-generation organic farming friends at Prevedelli Farms in Watsonville, California. The Prevedelli family has a 90-acre farm where they also grow other pears, over 24 varieties of apples, various berries, and persimmons.

On the East Coast, FruitBuyer Benn strapped on his pith helmet and tracked down the elusive organic KiwiBerry, from Kiwi Korners farm in Northeast Pennsylvania. Each KiwiBerry is about the size of a large grape and can be eaten whole - including the smooth skin. When ripe, it should yield to gentle pressure and the skin will be slightly wrinkled. These rare treats have a harvest season of less than one month and are outrageously nutritious despite their tiny size. Kiwiberries are rich in folic acid, fiber, potassium, chromium, and sixteen other nutrients we don't have space to list! The Vitamin C content is almost five times that of a medium orange.

The FruitGuys

My Pear has a First Name, it's O-S-C-A-R