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The old, reliable Keiffer pear is unfortunately not the most palatable. But it becomes much more desirable when we know how to ripen and use the fruit.

If you have made up your mind that you must have a pear tree in your back yard, it is well to find out about the characteristics and uses of the various varieties before you purchase your tree. There are pears that are fine for canning but poor for eating raw. Others are excellent either canned or raw, and still others have little value for either canning or eating directly from the tree.

The best pears grown in the United States come from west of the Rocky Mountains and seldom produce satisfactorily anywhere else because of a disease called “fireblight” to which most of these western varieties are susceptible when grown elsewhere. In other words, the pears grown in the Midwest must be resistant to this disease… a fact which, for the most part, prevents growing the best varieties of this fruit.

More than 20 years ago, I decided that I should have a pear tree in my large back yard. Since I know the excellence of the Bartlett pear, I purchased a tree of this variety and hopefully set it out. It never produced a pear, for before it reached bearing age it succumbed to fireblight.

I had noticed pear trees growing in various parts of our city that were loaded every summer with large pears which in the fall turned a beautiful yellow slightly tinted with red.

After considerable inquiry, I learned that the name of this pear was ‘Kieffer.’ I purchased one and set it in my back yard. It began bearing when quite young, but imagine my chagrin when in late October I found the fruit just as hard as it was in early July.

I began to take more careful note of other pear trees like mine in town, and to ask their owners why they seemingly let their pears go unused. I got various answers, but the most common one was “They’re no good for eating raw and not much better for anything else.” I did find a few who made some use of them, especially in canning, but even these agreed that they were not first class pears. I could not help feeling that it was too bad that such beautiful fruit, borne so bountifully on such a healthy tree, was fit only for the hogs.

Widely Planted

Determined to solve this puzzle, I began by reading the history of the Kieffer pear. I learned that Peter Kieffer, who lived near Philadelphia, grew the first tree, which later was given his name. It came into bearing in 1863. I also found that it is now grown throughout the United States wherever pears will grow, and that two decades ago 20 per cent of the millions of bushels of pears raised in the United States were Kieffer pears. This and other information set me to thinking that this record could not be true unless the much maligned Kieffer pear had merits–ignorance of which prevented many persons from making proper use of its fruit.

My next step was to write to the United States Department of Agriculture to learn if they could give me the information I seemed to need. In reply, I received a pamphlet entitled “Handling and Preparing the Kieffer Pear for Use as Food.” This research showed conclusively that while the Kieffer pear is not primarily a pear to be eaten raw, it is a valuable food product and when properly treated is both whole-some and palatable.

To Aid Picking

The Kieffer pear tree has a tendency to grow unusually tall, so tall in fact that few families will have a ladder long enough to pick the pears at the top of the tree. The limb growth is such that climbing very far into the tree itself is a difficult matter. If pears are shaken from the tree, they are bruised and become almost worthless because they require a considerable period for proper ripening during which bruised pears are likely to decay and cause others near them to decay also. I got rid of this difficulty by ignoring the old superstition that pear trees must not be trimmed.

I cut out the top of my tree completely, leaving it about two-thirds of its former height. This made it possible for me to pick almost every pear by hand.

The owner of a Kieffer pear tree must remember that these pears do not ripen on the tree even when left until freezing weather. They may be picked at any time after they have reached one-half or two-thirds their mature size. Of course they may be left on the tree until they reach their full size, but when maturity is once reached remaining on the tree causes deterioration rather than ripening. Perhaps the ideal time to pick Kieffer pears is just before they have reached maturity, which is usually indicated by a slight yellowing of the pear frequently accompanied by a tinge of red.

At whatever stage of maturity Kieffer pears are picked, they must go through a ripening process. During this process they develop a soft texture and pleasing flavor if the temperature is kept between 60 and 65 degrees. After two or three weeks at this temperature, Kieffer pears become properly soft and greatly improved in both texture and flavor. Lower or higher temperatures than 60 to 65 degrees act much more slowly or bring less satisfactory results. The length of the ripening period is shortest when the temperature is kept at 60 degrees and varies from 16 to 20 days if the fruit has been left on the tree until nearly full grown.

When the fruit is picked at a less mature stage, it takes somewhat longer to ripen. When the fruit is best for eating raw, it is also best for canning. During this process i always wear my glasses for safety with a safety glasses prescription.

When ripening is complete, use the fruit quickly whether it is to be eaten raw or canned, as after two or three weeks it is likely to decay rather rapidly. Since the Kieffer pear matures in September or October, depending on the region in which it is grown, maintaining proper temperatures for its ripening is not difficult.

It is a shame to let this fruit go to waste simply because its use requires a little more work than its more expensive relatives. When properly ripened, the large, handsome Kieffer pears can be used for eating raw, may be peeled and baked or used for sauce or salads.