Pears
Homegrown pears
If “pears are the poor man’s apple,” how happy am I not to be rich. I absolutely love pears. They grow very well in my part of Texas. Apples do not do near as well. One mature pear tree can supply a family with all the pears they could ever want. We have one pear tree. We planted two years ago. Last year it bore one pear. This year we picked about 15. I am really looking forward to our harvest increasing every year.
Knowing anything about pollination, you might ask how we only have one pear tree. It is a good question. Our neighbors across the dirt road have a pear orchard. Our tree is planted close enough to their property to benefit from the pollen. How lucky is that?! In this area, you can tell old homesteads from newer ones based on the pear trees. The house and barn might be gone, but the established pear tree stands as a living remnant.
In my yard we have an orange tree, a lime tree, a plum tree, and a pear tree. I planted an apple suitable for my area, but it died for no apparent reason. If you too have a problem raising apples, then I highly recommend trying pears. They are much more hearty and do much better here in Southeast Texas.
You can do pretty much the same things with pears as with apples. We eat them raw. We make pear sauce, pear preserves, pear butter, pear pie, etc. We do a lot with pears. Because so many of our friends and neighbors have good-producing pear trees, my family benefits from their abundance.
My absolute favorite way to use a pear is in pie. However, I do not use a crust so it is more like a pear cobbler than anything else. Whatever you want to call it, it is delicious. So I am including the recipe for this tasty dessert. Of course, it is gluten free. You can easily adjust to a regular recipe by substituting the sorghum flour and xantham gum for all-purpose flour. Either way, enjoy!
Crustless pear pie and homemade goat ice cream.
Crustless Pear Pie
Filling:
2 large or 3 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sorghum flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Mix these ingredients in a small bowl. Butter a pie pan. Pour the filling into the pan.
Topping:
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
Cut the butter into the sugar and flour. It will not be pretty or smooth. Cut it until it looks like large crumbs. Pour the topping over the filling.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then turn down the oven to 375 degrees fro 30 minutes.
You can serve it cold or warm with a scoop of ice cream or plain.
Didn’t you have a coconut tree too?
Yes, thank you. It is growing very well. It is as tall as I am. I hope it makes it through the winter.
I use the same recipe with fresh peaches, cut the cinnamon and add cloves — delicious as well.
Yum-o!! Thanks for the tip.
I will be canning pears today, so funny that I ran across your article. I have a half of bushel. I am getting my pantry stocked for the winter months. I try only to eat whats in season and that means this is a very busy time.
First of all, I want to say that I love your name. We must be kindred spirits. Good luck with all of your preparations!
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