Pears

This year, we decided to manage our pears with organic or all-natural sprays and fertilizers to lay the groundwork for potential organic certification in the future. The great news is that it was decently successful! We used an array of fertilizers and sprays to manage tree and soil health and to mitigate pest and disease pressure. All fertilizers and sprays used were either approved for organic production or they were all-natural or non-certified elemental formulations (i.e.-copper).
FAQ: Why do the pears have a white residue on them? We used kaolin clay to control the population of pear psylla, a common pear pest.

Varieties & Approximate Harvest Dates

Harrow's Delight

Availability: July 31-August 15

First pear of the season to ripen. You and yours will enjoy that smooth texture and wonderful flavor after having waited for so long a time! Mini in size, perhaps, but mighty in savor!

Sunrise

Availability: August 5-18

A beautiful yellow pear often completed with a slight reddish blush, good for eating fresh, desserts, or canning. This variety ripens slightly ahead of Bartlett, to which is a grandparent of Sunrise.

Bartlett

Availability: August 15- October 15

Juicy, smooth, buttery texture with a classic sweet pear flavor. An old favorite that is THE quintessential pear variety in many (most) folks' mind. We at Kauffman Orchards are excited about the potential of newer varieties to equal or surpass Bartlett's best attributes.

Harrow Crisp

Availability: August 15-October 15

A very attractive pear with red on yellow skin, slightly larger than Bartlett. Has become a popular alternative to Bartlett, which appears twice in Harrow Crisp's pedigree! If you ask Mary Zook, our resident pear connoisseur here in the market, she'll recommend this variety every time!

Asian Pears (Hosui, Yoinashi, Naitaka, and Olympic)

Availability: September 7 - October 31

Juicy, almost apple-like flavor. Extraordinary as a dried fruit. A common ingredient in Korean BBQ for flavoring and meat-tenderizing qualities.

Seckel

Availability: Month of September

Tiny pears, with a round body and squat neck. One of our sweetest pears with unforgettable flavor for fresh eating. Seckel is the only commercially-grown, truly American variety, discovered on the Seckel farm near Philadelphia in the early 1800's and maintaining a storied and much-loved history in our area of the country. Thomas Jefferson said of this variety, it "exceeded anything I have tasted since I left France, and equaled any pear I had seen there." (Wikipedia)

Blake's Pride

Availability: August 25-Mid-September

Named for a prominent horticulturist at a research center in Ohio, this is a hearty variety featuring glossy yellow skin, with good fresh-eating flavor. Being related o Bartlett several ways, Blake's Pride is (very) suitable for canning and baking also.

Harrow Sweet

Availability: September 15-October 15

A high-quality, late-season pear that is naturally fireblight resistant (fireblight being a pear tree's greatest scourge). Excellent for canning - Bartlett is a parent of Harrow Sweet, you know(!) - but its flavor is sure to be favored as a fresh-eating super-snack as well!

Magness

Availability: Month of October

Clair Kauffman's (our orchard manager) favorite pear of all! Magness is an heirloom variety and quite possibly our finest dessert pear, which packs a super-rich, sweet pear flavor that will have you coming back for more. Clair says that Magness is not common in commercial orchards so other than at Kauffman Orchards, may be difficult to find for flavor explorers looking for the "best of the best."

Shenandoah

Availability: Month of October

A new and luscious, European-type pear related to and similar to Bartlett but with better fruit size, Shenandoah is one of the better-keeping pear varieties. We think you'll be able to store these in your refrigerator until Christmastime.

Potomac

Availability: Month of September

Ripening about two weeks after Bartlett, and also related to Bartlett, Seckel, and Anjou (similar to Anjous you may have seen), the skin is glossy green and the flesh is fine, aromatic, and buttery. High quality evident everywhere here, including that Potomac stores fairly well.

To achieve optimal ripeness and flavor for fresh eating, it is important that your pears are properly ripened at home after you purchase them at Kauffman's. Check out this short video from USA Pears on how to ripen a pear. https://usapears.org/pear-ripening-and-handling/