novice,
Many of the 'cast-iron' pears that have stood the test of time - and thrown off the ravages of fireblight - in the Southeast (I grew up in UCLA - upper corner of lower Alabama) are selections that were crosses of the Asian 'sand pear' and European pears - like "Keiffer", "Orient", etc.
Keiffer and its ilk are common survivors around old homesteads down South, and while many folks denigrate them as barely edible, to me, since it was the only pear that could survive there, they ARE what a pear is supposed be - firm, crisp, juicy, flavorful, and yes, gritty!

Check out the list linked below. Some of the more common FB-resistant pears for The South - of the type you've described - would include Keiffer, Garber, Orient, Pineapple, Carrick, Dabney, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fireblight-resistant pears in the NCGR collection

Lucky, thank you so much for the prompt and informative reply! It is true that the fruit from this tree is not exactly considered gourmet cuisine by many, but it warms my heart to eat them. Unlike store bought pears, they do have a tough hide and that "gritty" texture, but I still find them sweet and enjoyable. As a young child, I swallowed melon seeds, and yes, even ate my granny's pears peel and all. (I peel them now.)

The tree we have here bears really well, and I eat my fill, but the majority of the fruit goes to waste. The possums can only eat so many! I'm considering seeing how they keep when canned, possibly for use in preserves or jams.

I will check out the link you so thoughtfully provided, and continue to look into the possibilities. Your response is greatly appreciated!

Keiffer is noted as a 'canning' pear, and makes good pear preserves; pear pie is nice, and I've cooked down pears with apples and crabs to make jelly. Our friend Joe R. makes some killer pear wine - if you had a press, that'd be another possibility.
Somewhere, I've got a recipe for pear-hot pepper jelly - made a batch last year, and it was well received by my family and friends. A good way to use some of those excess pears.
I'll see if I can find it.

That sounds wonderful! I have found several recipes for using pears, so I will be experimenting a little when the fruit comes in this year to determine which will adapt well to this variety of pear. The texture may make some differences in the final product, but I'm assuming any variety of pear will work in a recipe that uses pears. It will just be a matter of discovering which will be most pleasing to the palate, I suppose.

This could turn out to be a lot of fun, and I will certainly have plenty of fruit to experiment with. I really love pepper jams and such, so I find the idea of a pear and pepper combination appealing. I grow several varieties of hot peppers, which I prefer over the sweeter peppers. I have some bell peppers and sweet banana peppers, but mostly grow hotter varieties. The first thing I put up this season was mango/jalapeno jam, which is not really very hot. Most of my family do not share my love for truly hot foods and condiments.

I can do some experimenting and adapt some of the recipes I have already found, but would be more than happy to try yours if it's not too much trouble to locate and post. You've been so helpful that I really don't want to put you out any more, so please don't go to a lot of trouble on my account. I'm finding a wealth of information by searching the internet, and have discovered quite a few things I'm anxious to try!

Once more, I offer my most heartfelt gratitude, not only to you for the personal responses, but to the entire garden web community. There is just so much information here, and it is truly a blessing for a novice gardener such as myself to be able to draw on the experience of such a knowledgeable and neighborly community! The site reminds me so much of the way people once helped each other when I was growing up in rural northeast Florida. Now, most of the old dirt roads are paved (some with 4 lanes), and the spirit of a close knit community has given way to seemingly uncaring strangers and the old way of life is gone...

This is why I moved a little further north, where it is still "rural." My poor granny stepped in a hole and broke her leg, right in her front yard, and was very distraught over the fact that she had to lie there on the ground for hours, watching as possibly hundreds of cars passed, until my aunt finally came to visit and discovered her!

I apologize for my off-topic meandering, but it just means a lot to me that you have taken the time to personally respond, and have been so helpful. I think I could really grow to love the garden web community!