Health Benefits of that Pear Tree

If your true love gives you a partridge in a pear tree, then kiss your true love. Your pear tree provides you with a fruit low in calories, high in fiber, and full of vitamin C. A medium pear is about 100 calories and has 6 grams of fiber, about one-fifth to one-quarter of your fiber needs in just ONE pear.

Pears ripen better after picking and sometimes still need ripening after buying them. However, hard, unripened pears don’t taste as good as a ripe one, so have patience.

With over ten varieties of pears just grown in the US, eat a different pear every day of the week! That’s a lot of pear trees!

Serving and Eating Pears:

A perfect accompaniment to pears is a small piece of cheese (about 1 ounce) to give you some protein.

Most people think of pears eaten whole or from the can (in its juice or light syrup, drained), but they are good in many sweet or savory themed recipes. They are good dessert fruits (poached pears), sound on salads (on top of greens with some candied walnuts), as a pizza topping (try it), or any variety of options. You can even serve it with partridge if you are so inclined (they are in the same family as the pheasant and quail, and you can eat it).

For pear recipes, check out these sites:

USA Pears – recipes, wine and cheese “pearings,” and more about how to ripen your pears.

Food Network – pear crisp, pear cider, poached pears, and more! Partridge recipes here too!

MyRecipes.com has desserts, salads, main dishes, and more. There is an excellent recipe for Pear Mimosa for a twist from traditional orange juice.

Enjoy your partridge in a pear tree. And, don’t forget to wash your pears before you eat them.