New Crop Argentinean Pears Now in Season
Written by Austin M., Central Market Produce Inspector on Thursday, April 29 2010
With these eighty-five degree days we’ve been having, it’s hard to think about eating anything other than watermelon and peaches…which are unfortunately a good month away (although early season fruit has been suggestive of a great season!) Strawberries and blackberries have been terrific, but it’s hard to find something seasonal and substantial enough to pack in that lunch or slice up for the kids. In the meantime, during this relative “dead zone” of fruit, I like to go with the other soft fruit: Argentinean pears.
Argentina has been in the pear business for years due to its unique microclimate (there aren’t too many cold, coastal areas in the southern hemisphere.) They ship over 720,000 tons of pears annually, and have it down to a fairly exact science, to the point that they seem to ripen up identically to the fruit we get out of Oregon and Washington during the fall.
Right now, we have Packham (think Bartlett for late season), Red Bartlett (the green ones have finished up this year,) Bosc, and D’Anjou varieties, many organic, ripe, and ready to eat!
The real winner of the bunch is the Abate Fetal (ah -BAH-tay fuh-TEL,) an Italian (or French; produce origin stories are always shrouded in ambiguity) variety bred by monks back in the 1400s. This admittedly ugly pear is most similar to the Concorde; perfect to eat when it’s crunchy or even a bit past its prime. The flavor is slightly acidic, like most of the “green pears,” but has a certain creaminess and aromatic nature that makes it our absolute favorite from Argentina. Give them a shot next time you’re in!
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