I must confess I'm not quite up on pears as much as I am on other fruit. I enjoy all the pears, but I also feel that I don't know much about which are easier or harder to grow here, or even the flavor differences like I do with apples, cherries, berries, or even quince.
I am grafting "Conference" to many rootstocks because it seems quite adaptable with few future compatibility issues and quince, and therefore on others. I also did some hard pruning on an out of control Conference pear tree that someone gave me this year, so I have a lot of scions handy before the scion exchange, which is handy since quince has already leafed out and the scion exchange is almost 2 weeks away.
I just had a conversation with a member in Illinois named Ron who really likes the Collette pear and finds it grows and crops well. I have had some cropping problems on my pear tree, which may be related to compatibility issues, as it has quince rootstock. I have also heard good things about Orcas pear. I would like to have some storage pears. I have heard that Winter Nelis stores well, pollinates superbly, but crops lightly.
Does anyone have recommendations for pear varieties that they like and do well in the PNW?
Thanks
John S
PDX OR
My favorite pear is easily Comice; “The Comice Pear produces a large pear with a very juicy, melting flesh. It has an outstanding flavor. The giant, juicy, rich-flavored pears are golden with a trace of red. It is sometimes referred to as the "connoisseur’s" pear.â€
…and it’s sister pear, D-Anjou, is right up there. However… I never (ever ever) get the quality that I must buy from an oxygen-purged refrigerated ‘commercial Comice’ stored to perfection… Mine, like everyone else’s I’ve talked to in this organization for 25 years, rot – from the inside out. I’ve lost boxes of perfect home refrigerated Comice and D-Anjou pears and no longer attempt to store them...
Since picking early and storing them doesn’t work, I let them ripen on the tree. The deer, raccoons and even a bear love them! The bear even loved a couple of branches at the same time. I’ll pick and give them away at gatherings of friends but mainly grind them into juice along with my apples. Honestly, I would not plant another tree of either, sad to say…
OK, that was my ‘favorite,’ what’s actually worked out fantastic has been my Bosc pear tree, with it’s consistent fruit. Even with last years never-ending-spring the Bosc was loaded, it’s loaded every year – with very little if any thinning. The fruit are perfect, crisp and sweet …even with their tinder golden brown potato textured skins… They remind me of a well behaved Asian pear. They’re not keepers, but if refrigerated, will not rot before I eat them! They’re crisp and juicy, like a sweet tender apple or will mellow to something rivaling the Comice I ‘don’t get.’ They’ve become one of a hand full of fruit trees (even as a fruit nut) I wouldn’t be without.
Then there’s thee classic, and though you will often see them rotting by the sidewalk full - Bartlett’s are a fantastic pear. I really appreciate a fruit I can begin eating very early and very late – and everywhere in-between. Bartlett’s are like that; eat em green, mixed, or golden yellow, each stage has its appeal. And, they’re also consistent, and a fantastic pollinator for most other ‘European pears.’
That’s my list, and my experience…
Unfortunately my pear trees are too young to fruit so can only give a tasting perspective.
The following I've bought from local farmer's markets and they were good, so I am assuming they can be grown well around here:
Bartlett. OK.
Tyson. Very good.
Seckel. A favorite
Comice. Very good.
Bosc. OK. Not as good as those purchased in the grocery store (imported from Hood River region).
Tasted the Conference at a HOS All About Fruit Show - it was good.
Tasted elsewhere nearby:
Orcas. Very good.
Starkcrimson. OK
Ubileen. Good.
Buying Anjou and Bosc currently. Anjou is OK, Bosc is OK to good.
That's all I can remember right now.
I'm not in Portland, but I sure love my Seckel pears. The tree thrives, bears heavily. Fruit is fairly early. Lovely sweet and tender when eaten fresh and makes the absolute best dried pears.
I also like my Bosc. The Bosc are earthier and much later. My Bosc store well for me. Gotta warn you; the Bosc is one ugly tree. But I forgive it because I love the fruit.
I've got a Comice planted, but it will be years yet before it has any fruit on it.
I'm no expert on varieties, but thought I would add this after reading another comment on the difficulty of storing pears. My trees are too young to produce much, but in the past I have been lucky to receive a box or two of windfall pears from others... sweet and tasty but not up to storing.
Instead of juice, I make pear butter (like apple butter). I just core them, cook till soft skins and all, put it through a food mill once and dump the resulting puree into my crockpot on low for the rest of the day. Add whatever spices you like (nutmeg, etc). The low slow heat will reduce it down without any attention so you can do other things, just check once in a while and scrape down the sides. No added sugar, cans nicely into 1/2 pint jars, and I get raves. Easy.
Woodsmoke: “Gotta warn you; the Bosc is one ugly tree.â€
Pear trees are difficult to tame, they shoot for the moon. Knowing that, I stayed on my Bosc, less than half the age of my ‘original’ pear trees ...it's beautiful 
trained and pruned to perfection. In some very rich soil, it puts on good growth and is quite symmetrical. But it took everything I had to get it that way 
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And thanks for the pear butter plan, Coastal, it’s been years since I’ve canned any fruit butters. What worked best for me were Wolf River apples. But my problem is doing things in volume ...like I was trained as a kid… The oldest, I’d be stirring a vat while watching several pressure cookers … so have a difficult time filling anything smaller than a quart. My problem, not yours – and I’ll keep the pear butter in mind.
I tried for years to reproduce apple butters I had as a wee thing in Amish country, and tasted every stinking thing on the supermarket shelves. Yuck. I'm still making at least an annual pilgrimage to Hood River, until I have an abundance from my own trees, and cooked down a bunch of unimpressive Hood River cheapies this year and got it right. No cinnamon, no nutmeg, none of the baking spices I love in so many things. Just cook down the fruit. I included pears, which I sort of regret, because they made it gritty.
I, too, boil everything until it falls apart, and put through a food mill to get applesauce. Because my crockpot is so small, I cook it down on the stove until I know I'm paying dangerously little attention to it, and then dump it into the crock pot. Without a lid.
This is worth doing in volume. All of a sudden my husband is eating peanut butter and not-jelly sandwiches. I dump the apple-pear butter in plain yogurt, also in volume.
And it's a great use for all the fruit I get the footies on too late...
Idyllwild
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Marsha H
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