In Season Now: Pears

Pumpkin seems to be the king of fall produce but there is so much more in season! I want to encourage you to venture out and try something new! Today we are going to talk about pears.

This is the first installment of a new series that will appear on My Texas Kitchen. Each month I will feature a fruit or vegetable that is in season along with nutrition information and recipes. My goal is to encourage you to explore seasonal produce and try something new!

IN SEASON - AUTUMN

• Harvested in US August through October

NUTRITION

• Pears are an excellent source of fiber packing 6 grams, or 24% of your Daily Value, per serving. The skin contains the majority of the fiber and adds texture, flavor and additional nutrients.
• Pears are a good source of Vitamin C, containing 10% of the Daily Value per serving. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and is also necessary for cell growth and repair.
• Potassium please! One medium pear contains 5% of the Daily Value for potassium.
• Choose a medium pear for a pear-fect portable 100-Calorie snack!
• Pears contain an antioxidant called Quercetin which may protect against heart disease and cancer due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

RIPENING & HANDLING TIPS

• Choose firm pears with few soft spots. Avoid pears with deep scars.
• To ripen pears, place in fruit bowl or paper bag, and store at room temperature. Don’t forget to check them daily!
• Don’t refrigerate an unripened pear.
• Check the neck for ripeness by applying gentle pressure with your thumb. Once it yields to pressure the pear is ripe and ready to eat!

VARIETY

• There are 10 varieties of USA Pears. They range in flavor, texture and juiciness. Over 80% of pears grown in the USA are from the Pacific Northwest.
• All-Purpose: Green or Red Anjou,  Bartlett, Red Bartlett, Concorde
• Baking: Bosc
• Perfect for Snacking or in Salads: Comice, Seckel, Forelle, Starkrimson

Did You Know? You can sub pears for any recipe calling for fresh apples!

RECIPES

A delicious round-up of recipes featuring pears.

• Pears with Goat Cheese and Cranberries by Sweet Potato Chronicles
• Sour Cream and Pear Muffins by My TX Kitchen
• Spiced Pear and Pomegranate Crostini by Good Life Eats
• Gingerbread Pear Muffins by All Recipes
• Baked Pears with Walnuts and Honey by Skinnytaste
• Caramel Dipped Pears by The Kitchen McCabe
• Arugula Skirt Steak Salad with Caramelized Pears, Pecans and Gorgonzola by Baker by Nature
• Red Pepper-and-Pear Soup by Southern Living
• Grilled Pear Salad by Southern Living
• Cranberry, Pear and Kale Salad with Walnuts by Gundersen Health
• Pear, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad by A Pinch of Healthy

Happy Fall Y'all!

-Alaine

References:

1. USA Pears http://usapears.org/pear-nutrition/
2. Lin LZ, Harnly JM. Phenolic compounds and chromatographic profiles of pear skins (Pyrus spp.). J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Oct 8;56(19):9094-101. doi:10.1021/jf8013487. Epub 2008 Sep 9. PubMed PMID: 18778075. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18778075