Probably Apricot but not much good for fruit unless you cover..both will need others for pollination, they can get some winter damage.

Is needing to cover because bugs get at the fruit, Konrad?

I’m starting to experiment with winter covering, using insulated white tarp. Flower buds get damaged at around minus 35C..

Konrad,

Where do you get your insulated white tarp? I may try that.

Got used on market place.

Weeper 11
For fruit flies I’ve been using mosquito bed netting.

David - not what I wanted to hear about Ure. lmao. I planted one two years ago

Has anyone tried Golden Spice pear?

Golden Spice is a good little pear, rock-solid hardy and productive even through our difficult climate, and good to eat, although I find the skin to be bitter. I've used most of mine in juice blends the past few years.

I agree: "Golden Spice" is the way to go. The fruit ripen in early August, and are a fine eating pear, although it has a short harvesting window. "Ure" is just too bitter and mealy, although I suppose I could use the fruit for compote...

I'm going to add that the only fruit trees that I have that produce really nice fresh-eating fruit are my "Opata" cherry plums -- just spectacular, as I just can't get my regular plums through winter kill -- and the University of Saskatchewan sour cherry series. "Evans" is just too sour for me, but the others -- "Valentine" and "Romeo" in particular -- have a high enough brix content that they become table fruit after the first frost. None of my apple trees bear great fruit, although they're fine for home use.

My Golden Spice don't ripen until after the middle of September -- I suspect because we have less daylight hours in the summer than you do in Peace River? One nice thing about them is, when they are ready to harvest, they fall off the tree -- they will store for a few weeks.

Sounds like I need another Golden Spice.

Any other hardy pears that you guys recommend?

Summercrisp does well here, tends to be biennial bearing.

I like Patten, but it seems to be a shy-bearer here and most years, nothing of any value.

I have a few other varieties (Loma, Hudar, Nova), but they are not bearing yet.

David..don’t think you have Golden spice if it’s ripe early August..they need a long season, I’m outside Edmonton and ripen by end of September early October..this from October 1
Still, sounds like you have a interesting pear.

Hey douglas forbes how is the production on your summer crisp and how is the taste of the fruit compared to the others

Summercrisp has a mild flavor, and soon after harvest is more crisp, like an Asian pear. We like it quite a bit. I would rate the flavor as good but not outstanding. It will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator, and become a little less crisp over that time. Production tends to be every other year on my tree, but is quite good.

Summercrisp isn’t hardy for me in zone 3b

Summercrisp survived -40 at my location this past winter with very little damage, but it's a very large tree that is +15 years old. Golden Spice, Patten, Early Gold, Luscious and Hudar came through with little to no damage as well. Nova, Loma and Southworth (younger trees) suffered considerable damage. I had an Ayers that appears to have completely died. I should add, we had pretty good snow cover through the coldest part of the winter.