Slow Food USA

American heirloom pears are extremely rare 19th and 20th century pears of American origin. The different varieties (listed below) fluctuate from big to small in size and pale yellow to deep brownish yellow in color. Their tastes and textures vary from sweet to spicy and gritty to smooth.

Pears are one of two dozen plants known to have been cultivated of over 4, 000 years, and their decreasing diversity in the US and worldwide is of considerable significance. Sources for pear materials were once abundant in the US but are now rapidly disappearing. Commercial growers who once took pride in growing many varieties of pears now confine their efforts to a few. Even experiment stations and universities find it difficult to maintain their variety collections because of pressure from other activities.

Pear cuttings were first brought to the American colonies from Europe. Pioneers used the fruit for eating and baking, the fine-grained wood for making furniture, and the leaves to make a rich yellow dye.

West Coast pears have their own unique history. They were originally brought by the Spanish to Mexico, Peru, and Chile, and then traveled up the California coast with the early missions. The boom in California pear growing came after the Gold Rush, in the late 1800's, when farmers planted large orchards of European pears to provide fruits for a growing population. Markets remained local and townsfolk enjoyed fresh fruit up until World War II. After the war, the small, easily bruised heritage varieties were gradually eliminated in favor of the Bartlett, a large pear that could be shipped and handled, and had a long shelf life.

Clapp's Favorite, photo by Ben Watson

Click on a thumbnail to view the full size image:

Beirschmitt, photo by Tami Lax	Buffum, photo by Tami Lax	Clapp's Favorite, photo by Ben Watson
Colonel Wilder, photo by Tami Lax	Dana's Hovey, photo by Tami Lax	Dearborn, photo by Tami Lax
Dorset, photo by Tami Lax	B.S. Fox, photo by Tami Lax	Frederick Clapp, photo by Tami Lax
Howell, photo by Tami Lax	Idaho, photo by Tami Lax	Kieffer, photo by Tami Lax
Lawrence, photo by Tami Lax	Lincoln, photo by Tami Lax	P. Barry, photo by Tami Lax
Sudduth, photo by Tami Lax	Vermont Beauty, photo by Tami Lax	Warren, photo by Tami Lax
Worden Seckel, photo by Tami Lax

Heirloom Pears:

Beirschmitt pear
Bloodgood pear*
Buffum pear*
Clapp's Favorite pear
Colonel Wilder pear*
Dana's Hovey pear
Dearborn pear
Dorset pear*
B.S. Fox pear*
Frederick Clapp pear*
Howell pear*
Idaho pear*
June Sugar pear
Kieffer pear
Lawrence pear*
Lawson pear*
Lincoln pear
Lucy Duke pear*
Orcas pear
P. Barry pear *
Rescue pear
Seckel pear
Sheldon pear
Sudduth pear
Tyson pear
Vermont Beauty pear
Warren pear
Wilder Early pear*
Winter Bartlett pear
Worden Seckel pear

*Pear varieties marked with an asterisk are so rare they can only be found in the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository
33447 Peoria Road
Corvallis, Oregon 97333

Producers

Moulton, AL
Classical Fruits
8831 AL Highway 157
Moulton, AL 35650
Phone: (256) 974-8813

Garberville, CA
Greenmantle Nursery
3010 Ettersburg Road
Garberville, CA 95542
Phone: (707) 986-7504

Paso Robles, CA
Trees of Antiquity
20 Wellsona Rd.
Paso Robles, CA 93446
Phone: (805) 467-9909

Woodside, CA
Filoli Gardens
86 Canada Road
Woodside, California 94062
Phone: (650) 364-8300

Ball Ground, GA
Lawson's Nursery
2730 Yellow Creek Road
Ball Ground, GA 30107
Phone: 770-893-2141
Lincoln pear

Waterille, MD
Fedco Trees
PO Box 520
Waterville, MD 04903-0520
Phone: (207) 872-8317
Clapp's Favorite pear, Tyson pear, Vermont Beauty pear

Baroda, MI
Southmeadow Fruit Gardens
10603 Cleveland Ave
Baroda, MI 49101
Phone: (269) 422-2411
Sheldon pear, Vermont Beauty pear

Geneva, NY
Cummins Nursery
18 Glass Factory Bay Rd.
Geneva, NY 14456
Worden Seckel pear

Oxford, NY
Christian Homesteading Movement
Turner Road
Oxford, NY 13830
Kieffer pear, Warren pear

Biglerville, PA
Boyer Nurseries
405 Nursery Road
Biglerville, PA 17307
Phone: (717) 677-8558
Seckel pear

Strasburg, PA
White Oak Nursery
494 White Oak Road
Strasburg, PA 17579
(Lincoln pear, Worden Seckel pear)Lindale, TX

Lindale, TX
Bob Wells Nursery
PO Box 606
Lindale, Texas 75771
Phone: (903) 882-3550
Kieffer pear

Everson, WA
Cloud Mountain Farm & Nursery
6906 Goodwin Road
Everson, WA 98247
Orcas pear

Madison, WI
Edible Forest Nursery
PO Box 260195
Madison, WI 53726-0195
Dana's Hovey pear

Randolph, WI
J.W. Jung Seed Co.
335 S. High Street
Randolph, WI 53957-0001
Phone: (800) 247-5864
Clapp's Favorite pear

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