Author Archives: Jenny

About Jenny

Hello! I write about all things pear, from local events to online sightings. Check out my posts for fun and creative ideas involving USA Pears!

Nowadays, everybody’s keen on pears

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It’s fall, and lot of people are doing a lot of wonderful things with pears right now.  Even though USA Pears are available nearly year-round, a lot of people still think of them as a “fall fruit.”  So if people like to cook with the seasons, and believe that pears are a fall fruit, it’s no surprise that the internet is EXPLODING with creative, delicious-looking pear recipes. We have our very own USA Pears recipe collection, with time-tested (not to mention professionally-tested) appetizer, beverage, entree, dessert, and kid-friendly recipes, but we also like to pay attention to what’s going on out there in your kitchens.  Food blogs are all aflutter with incredible pear creations this fall, and I’ve rounded up a few of my faves for your enjoyment: Scarlet Poached Pears from the blog “Zested” (http://zested.wordpress.com/)  This was sent to me from a fan in Continue reading →

Eat Your Lunch in Style!

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November 15th is the last day to take advantage of our free Pear Packer offer with BUILT!  Choose from the wide selection of stylish insulated neoprene lunch totes on builtny.com, and when you’re ready to check out, simply enter the coupon code pears.  You’ll receive a free Pear Packer that’s pear-fect for taking ripe pears on the go! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Our Favorite Cover Model

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I was pretty jazzed to see this in the supermarket today: Not only are pears featured on the cover in the lovely “Poached Pear Tart with Shortbread Crust,” they are also in page 12’s “Bistro Gravy with Red Pears, Peppercorns and Brandy,” page 14’s “Sweet Ginger Cheesecake,” and an arugula and pear salad on page 86.  This 120-page special holiday publication from Better Homes and Gardens retails for about 6 bucks, but we’re giving away two of them!  Next Monday we will draw two names from the list of people who leave a  comment on this post.  Who knows, we may even throw in a few pear goodies from the USA Pears prize vault! For more inspiration in your holiday meal planning, visit the recipe section on usapears.org.  We’ve got everything you need, from first course to finale! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

100 Days ’til the XXI Olympic Winter Games!

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It’s tough to tell in this photo, but there’s a pear embroidered on this guy’s cap, and that’s because USA Pears is an official headgear sponsor of Olympic athlete Torin Koos.  In 100 days, he’ll be in Vancouver, B.C. to cross-country ski his heart out for the gold! Torin grew up in Leavenworth, Washington, which is located in the Wenatchee growing district that’s world famous for pears.  Click here to read an interview where Torin professes his love for skiing and pears, and here to read an article posted today on NBCOlympics.com, where Torin talks about his sport and the upcoming winter games. Check back for more updates on Torin’s quest for the gold! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Balance your holiday sparkle with fresh pears!

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I saw this beautiful fall table setting on HGTV.com, and just had to share it.  They bring up a great point – that natural elements like fresh pears create a perfect balance for shimmery metalics.  You can’t go all sparkle all the time, you have to mix it up.  It’s all about contrast in color, texture and height, right?  Here, they use a small variety, like Seckel or Forelle to contrast their golden/amber candles, stemware and glass dishes. Click here to get a better look! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Countdown to Halloween: (#1) Candied Pear Mayem

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I got this beautiful cardboard stand at Michael’s Craft Store, and I’m pretty sure Martha Stewart is going to call any minute now to personally congratulate me on this work of art.  We added some new candied pears to our collection, and I’m pleased to bring you the chocolate covered pear rolled in toffee:  We also experimented with sprinkles:   And then we sort of lost our minds, as evidenced by this crazy pear and the overall state of our workspace:   All in all, it was a great time and we learned that pears make an excellent candied party offering for kids and adults.  Happy Halloween from USA Pears!   Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Countdown to Halloween: (#2) The Candied Ginger Chocolate Covered Pear

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Who says you have to stick to sticking boring sprinkles and generic nuts on your chocolate covered pears?  Why not branch out and use your imagination?  It’s not like you have to enter them in the county fair and risk getting a white ribbon and an embarassing comment card from the judge, right?   Visit the recipe section of the USA Pears website and you’ll see where the inspiration for this little gem came from.  What can I say, the spiciness of ginger and the sweet, fresh, pure taste of pears mingle well together.  In fact, I’ve heard ginger referred to as the pear’s most complementary flavor.   To make this little treat, just mince a few pieces of candied ginger (usually found in grocery stores in the dried fruit section) and sprinkle it over your chocolate covered pear while it’s Continue reading →

Countdown to Halloween: (#3) The Old Fashioned Red Candied Pear

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Back when your great grand-pappy was a kid, trudging twenty-five miles to school everyday in the snow after rising from his cot at 3:15 a.m. and putting in a full day’s work, they didn’t have fancy things like “caramel” or “microwaves.”  No sirree, they cooked up sugar, corn syrup, water and food coloring to make old fashioned candied apples and pears.  If they were feeling wild, they might have added a touch of cinnamon flavoring. I personally wanted to leave this particular tradition in the past, but Alexa insisted we take a trip down memory lane and I obliged due to the fact that we were turning her new condo into a candied pear factory. The candied pears actually turned out  gorgeous, and don’t taste too shabby either!  Here’s what you do to make old fashioned candied pears:  Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup corn syrup, 1/3 cup Continue reading →

The Countdown Continues: (#4) The Vanilla Salted Caramel Pear

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One of our favorite foodie trends happening now is the use of exotic finishing salts.  In Portland, we are lucky enough to have “The Meadow,” a shop that specializes in these special gourmet salts from around the world.  (Click here to read a recent article in The Oregonian about the virtues of gourmet artisan sea salts.   I promise you’ll never look at regular table salt the same again). If you’re paying attention, you’ve surely noticed that sea-salted chocolate-covered caramels are gaining popularity with chocolatiers.  I personally think it’s a great combo and figure that if chocolate, caramel and salt taste great together, why not pears, caramel and salt? So I called The Meadow and they immediately recommended “Taha’a Vanilla,” a coarse finishing salt that, as the name suggests, fuses vanilla into Pure Halen Môn sea salt.  I rushed right over, Continue reading →

Countdown to Halloween: (#5) The White Chocolate Candied Pear

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I’ve decided to enlist the help of my poor, unsuspecting friends to make and post a photo of a different candied pear each day this week to celebrate Halloween.  We’re planning to use Forelle pears each day because they are small, beautiful, and well, we have a whole 22 pound box of them!  Seriously though, if I were throwing a party for kids and wanted to make candied pears I would use Forelle’s.  They are small and sweet enough on their own that you don’t even need to use a lot of sugary coating! For this white chocolate candied pear, we simply melted white chocolate morsels in a bowl in the microwave, and dipped the pears in about half way.  You can get popsicle sticks at any craft store, and then get cute ribbon for the bow.  Sweet.  Simple.  Delicious.  Continue reading →