Harrowsweet pear- another advantage

12 years ago

Even after quite a few years experience, I still struggle with harvesting most varieties of pears at the optimum time- too early and they don't get great sweetness- too late they may be rotting inside or acquire a grainy texture. Even when some varieties start to drop, not all fruit on the tree are actually ripe enough to pick- Sheldon is one of these.

It seems as though Harrowsweet can be allowed to turn completely yellow-gold on the tree without getting soft and is at that point the perfect stage for picking- at least if you aren't trying to store it for more than a month.

When it is picked at this time (here, early to mid-Oct) it's an amazing pear once allowed to soften at room temp for about a week- so luscious, sweet and rich.

The first time I tasted this pear was while walking through my nursery in mid-oct and I ate one straight off the tree that was just about perfect.

IMO, Harrowsweet is likely to become the most popular home orchard pear in the world if it performs elsewhere as it performs here in southeastern NY. It doesn't have great size, so may never be that popular with commercial growers.

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Comments (6)

User
12 years ago
I love this pear a lot, too, and would recommend it to anyone who like E. pears. Picked mine a few days ago. Mine also had reddish blush on top of yellow/gold. It weighed 7.1 oz, a good size but never could compare to the size of pears sold in supermarket.
windfall_rob
12 years ago
I hear lots of good things on harrow sweet.
The graft I have grown out has been a real problem child for pear scab. Three years of pretty consistent damage on it and none of the 6-8 other varieties in the orchard....
Possible I got a mislabeled piece of scion.....
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Chris-7b-GA
12 years ago
Talked me into it HM, just ordered a Harrow Sweet from Granpa's for fall delivery, hopefully it will like the climate here in the deep south
clarkinks
12 years ago
I will get some scion wood this spring and try it. I had some last year but it did not take.
appleseed70
12 years ago
Do you grow any of the other Harrow line? If so, how does it compare to Harrow Gold, Crisp, Delight? Harrow Gold is supposed to be bigger and juicier, but no mention of sweetness.
I should have done more reseach before choosing my pears. I chose Bartlett (Red) because my late grandfather had an old unkempt tree in his backyard that produced the most delicious pears I'd ever eaten and seemed to be bothered by nothing despite total neglect. I also chose Potomac as a DR variety that I've since discovered doesn't do very well in taste tests. I chose it partly because of it's affiliation with the WVU Kearneysville research station.
Neither has fruited yet, but I'd chose differently I think if I had a do-over.
Matt_z6b-7a_Maryland
12 years ago
Harvestman et al,

I've recently added HarrowSweet to my wish list based on all the great things I'm hearing here & elsewhere. Thx for the reports!

By the way, I ate some Magness pears from the local farmstand this past month. Some of the best pears I've ever eaten! Pic attached.

Had some Gorham pears too, whose Bartlett-like appearance, buttery texture & purported resistance to fireblight also impressed. Gorham is also said to be a good pollinator.

Appleseed-- It's interesting that you've heard lackluster things about Potomac pear. Can anyone else here comment on their experiences with this one? It's been on my wish list but perhaps deserves more scrutiny.

I'm also interested to hear what folks think about Tyson & Winter Nelis. Flavor? Texture? Growability? Any opinions?

Cheers,

-Matt