We love pears not only for their form, but also for their function—buttery as a fine chardonnay, subtly perfumed, and meltingly tender, a perfectly ripe pear can be a sublime eating …
Pomes
Save an Apple and Help a Farmer
I wrote a couple weeks ago about how much I love Gravenstein apple season– and now it’s here! We will be making deliveries the weeks of August 21 and 28. You can experience this endangered heritage …
The Joys of Summer Fruit
Summer for many of us is tied to the memory of a perfect piece of fruit. The tartness of that just-picked blackberry; the smell of a peach so sweet you salivate in anticipation of biting into …
Gravenstein Apples Are Coming!
Gravenstein apple season is one of my favorite times of the year. The harvest of this endangered Northern California heirloom apple is very short -- only 2-3 weeks in August -- and heralds the …
Summer Fruit Guide 2023
Do you remember biting into the first ripe peach of summer? The perfume of the fruit and the feeling of the fuzz in your hand? Summer for many of us is tied to the memory of a perfect piece of fruit. …
Pliny The Elder’s Last Podcast
Scene: Pliny the Elder’s open atrium podcast studio in Misenum, Bay of Naples, August 24th, 79 CE Pliny E: Welcome listeners & toga wearers. This is again, Gaius Plinius Secundus coming to you …
Eat the Endangered Gravenstein Apple
“Farming is a complex math problem,” sighs Dave Hale as he looks sadly at piles of wood chips that had been Gravenstein apple trees in the lot next to his thriving Sebastopol, CA, orchard. He tended …
Asian Pear
Sometimes called "apple pears" because of their apple-like shape and pear-like taste, Asian pears are probably one of the first domesticated fruits. With hundreds of cultivars, varieties include …
Kiwi
What fruit has the vitamin C of an orange, the potassium of half a banana, and the fiber of a half-cup of bran flakes? Hint: It's furry. Answer: Kiwi. Enjoy kiwis by peeling and slicing, or cut …
Taylor’s Gold Pear
A happy accident! Discovered in a pear orchard in Nelson, New Zealand, in 1986, Taylor's Gold is thought to be a "sport" (a variety or strain resulting from another variety) of the Comice pear. Sweet …
Opal Apple
You wouldn't want to bite into the iridescent precious stone opal, but you would an Opal apple. Hailing from a cross of the Golden Delicious and Topaz apples, the Opal's sweet-tangy and extra crunchy …
Persimmon
A herald of winter in many regions is the persimmon. Where the rain or even sleet has begun, the bare persimmon tree, with its orange ornaments, makes a striking silhouette against the grey horizon. …
Crunchy Gold Apple Pear
Love the satisfying crunch of an apple and the sweet juicy flesh of a pear? Then you’re going to fall head over heels for the unique Crunchy Gold apple-pear from California’s family-run Kingsburg …
Concorde Pear
Pears with necks as lovely as Audrey Hepburn. Concordes combine the crispness of Conference pears and the juiciness of the Comice. A fairly new variety bred in England, these pears have a brilliant …
Comice Pear
The Doyenne Du Comice was developed in France in the mid-1800s and is widely grown on the west coast. It can be recognized by its bulbous shape and dimple underneath. It has a green color when firm …
Chojuro Asian Pear
Ripe Chojuro Asian pears are known for their delicious, butterscotch flavor. Asian pears are sometimes mistaken for apples because of their crispness and round shape. …
Bisbee Red Delicious Apple
Originally hailing from Iowa in the late 19th century, Red Delicious is the quintessential apple. The Bisbee is sweet, crisp & flavorful - perhaps the best Red Delicious. …
Bosc Pear
The elegant Bosc pear is distinguished by its dark gold skin and cinnamon russeting. These pear's ancestors hail from Belgium and so speak Walloon. To check for ripeness, first greet your pear "Dií¨ …
Bartlett Pear
The dear Bartlett pear was originated in Berkshire England by a schoolmaster named Stair. He sold his cuttings to a horticulturist called Williams, who gave this new pear his name. When the pear …
Autumn Glory Apple
Symonym, cinn-man-ym. Cin-a-mon. Whew! Autumn Glory is a new apple from Washington which is a cross between Fuji and Golden Delicious with a hint of cinnamon. They are not GMO. Now can you say …
