Author Archives: Brittany

About Brittany

Hi! I’m Brittany Wilmes, program coordinator at Pear Bureau Northwest. As half of the Communications and PR department at the Pear Bureau, I write about pear pop culture for The Pear Dish—sharing everything pear, from fresh recipes to community involvement to fun décor ideas. Have an article or idea to share? Feel free to email me! In addition to blogging, I’m busy sharing the pear love on behalf of the Pear Bureau Northwest…and eating USA Pears!

Happy Birthday, MyPlate!

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It’s already been a year since Michelle Obama and the USDA revealed the MyPlate logo, which has helped thousands of Americans make healthier choices when grocery shopping, preparing meals, and eating. Thankfully, we went from the confusing, complicated MyPyramid (where’s the nutrition?) to the streamlined, easy-to-understand MyPlate. And just in time, too – statistics from the Centers for Disease Control show that more than 1/3 of American adults are obese, as well as 17% of all U.S. children and teens. It’s time we make healthier choices, for ourselves and future generations! So as MyPlate celebrates its first birthday, I thought I’d share some timely tips for keeping your party plates fresh, colorful, and healthy! See things in a new light! Even simple ingredients can be re-imagined in exciting new ways. Take my recent example: I had delicious roasted radishes in Continue reading →

Pear-fect Vegetarian Recipes

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It’s that time of year when fresh vegetables and seasonal fruits are popping up everywhere—in your favorite food magazines, at the farmer’s market, in new cookbooks, and at the grocery store. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite veggie-heavy recipes using USA Pears in combination with the season’s bounty. Enjoy! Blueberry and Pear Waldorf Salad This vegan recipe is perfect for potlucks, classroom parties, and casual weekend dinners. It’s bright and zippy with fresh blueberries and light citrus notes. Braised Pears with Soy-Ginger Glaze The ultimate summer side dish, this vegetarian offering is delicious served alongside grilled chicken or pork. It’s versatile and can be made ahead and reheated just before serving. Pear and Cabbage Slaw Put this shredded slaw down next to the barbecued chicken at your next outdoor gathering, and you’ll be the star of the day! This Continue reading →

Fire up the Grill with USA Pears

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That’s right, it’s National Barbecue Month! Here in the recently sunny Pacific Northwest, we’re pulling out all the stops to take advantage of the weather while we can. May feels like the start of summer around here this year—it’s a pear-fect time to fire up the grill! Remember, grilling doesn’t have to stop with sausages and shish kabobs. Like many other firm-fleshed fruits, pears are delicious when grilled, especially when topped with sweet or savory accompaniments like ice cream or cheese! Here’s a quick roundup of our delicious recipes for the barbecue (I recommend Anjou or Bosc pears): Grilled Pears with Currants Grilled Pears with Gorgonzola Brie, Walnuts, and Spicy Mustard Vinaigrette Grilled Pears Stuffed with Mascarpone and Bacon Get to grillin’! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Pear Blossom Festival

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This weekend marks the 59th annual Pear Blossom Festival in Medford, Oregon. Medford is one of the four growing regions of USA Pears, especially famous for its picture-perfect Comice pears. (You may know them from gift companies like Harry & David.) The Pear Blossom Festival celebrates the annual appearance of pear blossoms around the area with an arsenal of activities, including the Pear Blossom Parade, a 5k run, a street fair, and the Pear A-Fare, which features locally produced wines, fruit, chocolates, and more. The festival is a great celebration, rich with the community pride of Southern Oregon. It seems that everyone in the region is involved in this festival, from the preschool-aged Blossom King and Queen to the families volunteering behind the scenes to put on the event. Even Spock himself participated back in 1967 as Grand Marshal of the Pear Blossom Parade Continue reading →

A Pear-fectly Sweet Easter

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For me, it finally starts to feel like spring when Easter rolls around. Everything’s awash in pastel colors, the weather is (hopefully) warming, and fresh spring foods take the menu: asparagus, lamb, berries. This year, I decided to bring together my love for great food and creative crafts with these little Easter projects: Sweet Easter Treats Everyone loves a good Easter egg hunt, right? There’s the spring sunshine, the thrill of the hunt, and best of all, the eggs! Filled with chocolate or coins, they’re a small but sweet award. Imagine if your next Easter basket looked like this after the hunt: Beautiful! But let’s take a closer look.   These aren’t your ordinary Easter eggs. They’re egg-shaped Anjou pears! Decorated with a careful hand and some sugary cake frosting, these pears become even sweeter. They’d be delicious sliced and Continue reading →

Fan of the Month: Monét F.

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Meet Monét. This girl is awesome—her love for pears rivals even mine, which is why I’ve chosen her as our first Fan of the Month! Thanks for sharing the pear love, Monét! What’s your favorite variety of USA Pears? Bosc! [Of course—check out the pear in her creative collage!] What’s your favorite recipe to make using USA Pears? My favorite thing to make is a healthy salad. I will attempt to make some new recipes using USA Pears! Why do you love USA Pears? I love USA Pears because of my grandfather. He introduced me to pears when I was about 10 years old. I said, “Can I try that grandpa?” He replied “Yes”. Since then, I’ve been in love with my favorite fruit. Is there anything else we should know about your love of pears? I once did a Continue reading →

Luck ‘o the Irish with USA Pears

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So pears and leprechauns might not have too much in common, but I still think you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this weekend with USA Pears. In fact, I often amuse (or annoy?) my family members with my way of bringing pears into the fold. Pear and pancetta crisps at Easter! Pear crostini for a Thanksgiving appetizer! Pear tart for Christmas! You see the pattern… Here’s a roundup of delicious-looking pear scones, which I’m generously interpreting from the original Irish soda bread. The two pastries originated in different countries, but they’re both quick breads, and they’re both quite accommodating of pears. Any of these combinations sounds like a great way to celebrate: Whole Wheat Pear Scones from Marcus Samuelsson Maple Nut and Pear Scones from EatingWell Pear Scones with Almond Glaze from Two Cooks One Kitchen If your festivity-making leans Continue reading →

USA Pears on Pinterest

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If you’re not already spending too much of your spare time pinning beautiful images to dozens of themed boards on Pinterest, we have an incentive: USA Pears is on Pinterest! Yep, we have an array of fun boards rich with ideas for meals and snacks of all kinds.  Have you always wanted to make something savory with pears? Check out our Pear Entrees board! If you want to make meals fun with your kids, get them involved in the kitchen, or pack them healthy and simple snacks and bagged lunches, we have boards for that. Check out our Pear Snack Attack and Kid-Friendly Recipes boards. You know pears are the pear-fect partner to foods like cheese and nuts. But what about other pear-fect pairings, you say? Ask no more—just head to our Pear-fect Pairings board for some tongue-in-cheek fun. So, Continue reading →

What’s on Your Plate?

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Yesterday marked the first-ever National “What’s on Your Plate?” Day, a fitting time to reflect upon whether your meals match the MyPlate recommendations…especially now that it’s a few months after the fresh start of the new year. So, what’s on your plate? Whole foods, like protein, veggies and fruit? Or quick and easy, but processed food? Here’s what was on my plate at lunch today: Leftover ham, carrots and jicama, and an Anjou pear. To me, it’s important that I fuel my body with protein and fresh foods so I can stay alert and energetic during my work week and maintain strength and endurance in my weekly workouts. What’s on YOUR plate? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Aspire and Expire

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This latest article from our cross-country skiing friend Torin Koos provides some powerful insight into how a recent avalanche tragedy in the heart of pear country has affected the skiing community, particularly Torin himself. Thanks to Torin for sharing this heartfelt story. The news came when I was in the hamlet of Sjusjoen, in the hills above Lillehammer, Norway: Three Dead in Stevens Pass Avalanche *** Why the appeal of affixing clinging skins, clicking into rear-heal releasing bindings and heading into the backcountry? My ITA mentor Greg Peck says this gets back to the soul of sport. And the way he says it, you know it’s true. Some of the last words of Daniel Zimmerman, the closest person to me I’ve lost to winter’s fury said to me was, “We got to get up in the mountains together again (pointing Continue reading →