Conference has a long, conical shape, with a yellow skin with russet markings. Its flesh is grainy, sweet and juicy and it cooks and eats well. Comice is more bulbous in shape, and has juicy, meltingly tender flesh; it’s good for cooking and eating, particularly with cheese.

Why is it called a conference pear?

A Conference pear is a variety of pear. It is an autumn cultivar (cultivated variety) of the European pear (Pyrus communis). … It owes its name to the fact that it won first prize at the National British Pear Conference in London in 1885.

Do Conference pear trees need a pollinator?

POLLINATION PARTNERS FOR CONFERENCE PEARS Conference (pollination group 3) is one of the most self-fertile all pear trees and will produce a good crop when grown on its own. However it can produce more fruit when planted with one or more of the following other varieties nearby: Beth (pollination group 3)

How big do Conference pear trees get?

Supplied as a bare root dormant tree 1.2m tall, to plant straight out from November to May, and reaching a height and spread of 2.5m (8ft).

Are Conference pears good baking?

Conference pears are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as baking, roasting, and poaching. … Conference pears can also be poached in wine and citrus zest or simple syrup, baked on a pizza, blended in smoothies with ginger, roasted in warm spices, or baked in a tart or cheesecake.

What can I do with hard conference pears?

Shredding unripe pear and combining it with shredded potato to make fritters can play off the clean, neutral flavors of each. Sauteing cubes of pear prior to adding it to a blue-cheese sauce can mellow out the raw taste of pear, for accompanying meat dishes.

What are Bosc pears called in UK?

Kaiser Also known as the Kaiser, it is grown in Europe, Australia, British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, and the northwestern U.S. states of California, Washington, and Oregon. The Beurre Bosc was cultivated first in France. The name Bosc is given after a French horticulturist named Louis Bosc.

Are Conference pears grown in the UK?

Conference is the most widely-grown pear variety in the UK. It crops heavily and reliably, and will grow in most situations. It is also one of the few pear varieties to be reliably self-fertile in most situations, so you don’t usually need another pollinator nearby.

How do you store Conference pears for the winter?

How to store pears Two of my favourite varieties of pear, ‘Conference’ and ‘Doyenne du Comice’, just happen to be the best for storing. They need to be picked hard, green and under ripe. Do not wrap the fruit, but lay them out in dimple cardboard trays, so they are easy to inspect.

Do you need 2 pear trees?

When growing pears, note that two cultivars are generally needed for successful pollination and fruit set. Most pear trees are not self-pollinating. You can also grow pears in containersand plant at any time of the year.

Will an apple tree pollinate a pear tree?

An apple tree cannot pollinate a pear tree, or any other non-apple tree for that matter. Pollination in plants is just like sexual reproduction in animals: the species need to be the same for pollination or offspring to occur.

Will a pear tree self pollinate?

Most fruiting pear trees require the presence of another different variety of pear for cross-pollination in order to set fruit; however, these pear trees are self-pollinating meaning they can grow and develop fruit without another compatible pear tree blooming nearby.

How long does a pear tree live?

How Long Do Pear Trees Live? With optimal conditions, wild pear trees can live upwards of 50 years. Among cultivated pears, however, this is rarely the case. Often orchards will replace a pear tree before the end of its natural lifespan when fruit production slows.

Are pear tree roots invasive?

According to Clemson University Extension, the tree is also invasive. Given their tendency to grow up rather than out, the roots are also prone to girdling, meaning growing round the tree, over other roots, rather than extending into the soil.

When should I plant conference pear trees?

You will see pear trees for sale in two forms: bare-root stock (where the roots are exposed when you purchase them) or in containers. Bare-root plants should be planted from late autumn until early spring; containerised plants can be planted at any time of year, although winter is preferred.

Which pear is best for pie?

Anjou The best pears for Pear Pie are ripe Bartlett’s or Anjou, pears. This time around I used Bartlett pears and they were fantastic! You will want to avoid Comice pears as they can become mushy.

Which type of pear is the healthiest?

Here is your guide to which pear variety is the sweetest; which is healthiest; and which types are best for eating raw or for cooking. … Sweetest Pear Variety.

Variety Total Sugars (grams)
Anjou (red) 9.54
Asian 7.05
Bartlett 9.69
Bosc 10.23

What pear is the sweetest?

Comice Comice pears Comice. Comice pears were originally cultivated in France. They’re known as the sweetest pear variety, and are often the variety shipped in gift boxes. Because of this, they’re sometimes given the nickname the Christmas pear. Comice pears have light green skin with a blush of pinkish red.

Why are Conference pears so hard?

Store-bought pears typically require time at room temperature to soften and become ripe. … This should trigger production of the ripening hormone ethylene. Cold storage will delay ripening; fruit will remain hard as long as it is refrigerated.

Are Conference pears meant to be hard?

Feel the pear’s flesh to see if it’s soft. Use your finger to press down gently on the pear’s neckif the flesh feels soft instead of hard, your pear is ripe and ready to be eaten. … The pear doesn’t need to be overly soft to be ready to eatas long as the flesh gives a little when you touch it, it’s ripe.

How long does it take for pears to ripen after picked?

four to five days After harvest, pears should be cooled for a couple of days at least. To ripen them, bring the temperature up to 65 to 75 degrees. They should ripen in four to five days.

What is the difference between Bosc and Bartlett pears?

Bartlett: The juiciest of all the pears, a ripe Bartlett will leave your chin dripping when you eat it out of hand. … Bosc: Crisp and mildly sweet, Boscs are the classic choice for poached pears. They’re easy to recognize because of their cinnamon-colored russeted skin.

What does a Beurre Bosc pear look like?

The Beurre Bosc pear has a dark cinnamon skin with a juicy aromatic white flesh. It is a medium large sized fruit with a thin neck. This pear is great for baking.

What does Bosc mean in French?

short for Beurr Bosc, borrowed from French, from beurr, any of various soft-fleshed pear varieties (literally, buttered, from past participle of beurrer to spread with butter, verbal derivative of beurre butter) + Bosc, from Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc d’Antic 1828 French naturalist.

Is Conference pear a spur bearing?

Spur bearers produce most of their fruit on short spurs on the older wood, for example the apple variety ‘James Grieve’ and the pear variety ‘Conference’. … Some apple varieties, like ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ and ‘Discovery’, are partial tip bearers, producing some spurs and some fruit on the tips.

How do you ripen Conference pears quickly?

If you want to speed up the process, set a few apples or bananas next to the pears. The apples/bananas will give off ethylene gas which hastens the ripening process. If you REALLY want to speed up the process, place the pear in a paper bag with an apple or banana and it will go even faster.

How do you ripen hard conference pears?

Place the pears in a paper bag and leave on the counter to ripen. This method should take about 2-4 days to ripen the pears. The natural gases produced by the pears will become trapped in the bag and help ripen the fruit faster.

Can dogs eat pears?

Yes, dogs can eat pears. … It’s been suggested that eating the fruit can reduce the risk of having a stroke by 50 percent. Just be sure to cut pears into bite-size chunks and remove the pit and seeds first, as the seeds contain traces of cyanide. Skip canned pears with sugary syrups.

Do pears ripen once picked?

Unlike a lot of other tree-borne fruits, pears ripen after being picked and not while on the branch. Pears have a fairly narrow ripening stage, so it is best to store them in a cool, dry place. Once the pears are harvested, growers will generally take care of the chilling process for you.

Can you freeze whole unpeeled pears?

It’s up to you. Just keep in mind that the amount of fiber in a pear doubles when you leave the peel onthe peel houses most of the fruit’s beneficial nutrients and antioxidants. If you’re making a smoothie or puree, you can freeze pears with the peel onit won’t detract from the texture or appearance.