Tag Archives: International

Bosco Sails the South China Sea

Lynsey By on

On my last day in Hong Kong, I grabbed Bosco and took a ride on the Star Ferry across the incredible Victoria Harbour.  The 10-minute ride cost me only 2.50 Hong Kong Dollars, which is about $0.32 in the U.S. (Bosco rode free), and provided spectacular views of the impressive city skyline. In Hong Kong, the wet market is a popular place to buy fresh foods, fruits, and vegetables, which of course includes pears!  The name comes from the fact that the floors are typically sprayed down with water to keep things clean.  There are many stalls, each offering an assortment of products.  Customers are looking for freshness, quality, and more variety than what is usually found in a grocery store.  The indoor market that I visited also provided air conditioning – a nice break from the humidity! Facebook Twitter Continue reading →

Celebrating the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

Lynsey By on

Greetings from Hong Kong! I’m wrapping up a two week tour of visiting the markets in Southeast Asia. It will be a few more weeks until the ships arrive with the first USA Pears of the season, but I have learned a lot on this trip to help prepare for the new crop! In Singapore and Hong Kong especially, the Chinese population is getting ready for the Mid-Autumn Festival. To celebrate, streets are decorated with lanterns, and typical foods include mooncakes – which are made from lotus seed paste – and pomelos. Look familiar? They look like giant Green Anjou pears! Pomelos, however, have a thick rind and the fruit itself is made up of wedges, like an orange or other citrus fruit. There is such a wide variety of tropical fruits available in these markets, so it was fun Continue reading →

The New Season is Here!

Lynsey By on

While everyone here at our office and our reps around the world are busy, busy planning for the new USA Pears season, harvest has finally begun!  Bartletts and Starkrimsons will kick things off – look for them to start popping up in your local grocery stores soon! I’m getting ready for a tour of the growing regions a bit later in the fall with groups from India and Russia.  The most popular variety around the world is the Green Anjou.  Many countries aren’t familiar with the lesser-known (but equally delicious in their own way) varieties.  It’s a lot of fun to take visitors to the orchards so they can see all the different shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors of USA Pears! If you haven’t already sampled all of the varieties of USA Pears, add it to your list of things to Continue reading →

Pears in Space!

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Every so often I come across something really awesome and fun in the USA Pear archives.  This time, it was “Peras USA en el Espacio” – “USA Pears in Space!”  The idea is a little kooky, but I immediately fell in love with this book that was a giveaway for kids in Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela back in 2000.  Inside I found paper doll-style pears and everything needed to build my own spaceship.  It was a great way to get kids in South America familiar with the different varieties of USA Pears.  I couldn’t resist – I got out my scissors and glue stick, and put together the spaceship full of little astronaut pears. Now, this activity didn’t really require a lot of creativity on my part, but there was some craftiness involved.  A couple of weeks ago Brittany shared lovely homemade pear Continue reading →

A Simple Summer Salad from NZ

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Back in October, USA Pears were featured in a summer salad promotion in New Zealand. Lucky for us here in the Northern Hemisphere, summer has just arrived, and a fresh USA Pear salad is refreshing addition to the season’s menu! Here are our Kiwi friends enjoying the simple summer salad recipe below: Make a balsamic dressing by whisking 5 Tbsp olive oil with 1 Tbsp aged balsamic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toast ½ cup almonds in oven until lightly browned, then cool and chop. Put a handful of salad leaves into a bowl, add ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese, toss with enough dressing to coat the leaves. Slice (don’t peel) one Anjou pear and add to the salad. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top. Serve and enjoy! Check out more recipes for salads and our Seasonal Continue reading →

¡Vive a lo grande con Peras USA!

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If you haven’t already heard, USA Pears just launched our brand-new, redesigned Spanish language site, www.perasusa.com!  It’s the go-to destination for all of our Spanish-speaking pear lovers, including recipes, variety information, and special promotions. Speaking of special promotions, we’re very excited to be partnering with Fox Pictures for an awesome new contest for shoppers in Mexico.  Marmaduke is a new movie (which opens here in the U.S. on June 4) starring a loveable Great Dane that “Vive lo Grande,” which can translate to “living large” or “live life to the fullest.” Shoppers that purchase 2 kg of USA Pears during the promotion will receive a scratch and win ticket with a chance at a number of prizes, including an iPod Touch, Nano, and Shuffle, as well as Frisbees for families to play with their own dogs at home.  Kids can Continue reading →

A Refreshing Treat

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Sweet, and juicy Green Anjou pears are still in season, and this recipe from the Middle East is the perfect refreshing dessert to enjoy on a spring evening! USA Green Anjou Pear in Orange-Caramel Sauce Ingredients 2 cups water 1 cup orange juice 1 cup brown sugar 4 USAGreen Anjou pears, cored and peeled 4 long orange peel strips 1 teaspoon vanilla Ice cream and biscuits to serve Star anise and chocolate leaves to garnish Directions Place water with sugar, orange juice, vanilla, orange peel and USA Green Anjou pears in a pan over heat. Stir ingredients and cook for 20 minutes or until pears are tender and sauce is caramelized. Set aside to cool. Divide pears over serving plates and wrap with orange strips. Pour orange caramel sauce and serve with ice cream and biscuits. Garnish with star anise and Continue reading →

Spring in Bloom

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In the spirit of the season, we’ve been doing some spring cleaning and organizing here at the office.  While going through the USA Pear archives, I came across this lovely “vintage” poster from Hong Kong.  It looks like a work of art, no?  And it’s perfect for this time of year – the orchards will soon be full of pear blossoms in bloom! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Así son las Peras USA

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I just returned from a trip to Mexico, and had the opportunity to see a variety of our different USA Pear promotions in action.  In the produce section of the supermarket, Mexican shoppers can often spot demonstrators handing out samples, recipe brochures, and nutrition information about USA Pears.  We also have many activities for kids: in schools, children’s museums, and in stores as well for the little ones that tag along shopping with mom and dad.  The giant Pear Buddy puzzle below is just one example – did you notice baby Seckel in the bottom right corner?  Pears are a sweet substitution for candy and other sugary treats that kids love to snack on! Our Spanish-speaking USA Pear enthusiasts can visit Club de Peras for video games, kids’ recipes, coloring sheets, and other fun activities that teach kids about nutrition Continue reading →

Ringing in the Chinese New Year

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Red is everywhere you look in February! In addition to Valentine’s Day and the “Go Red” campaign for National Heart Month, this year Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) takes place on February 14. Chinese New Year celebrations last several days, and typically include visits to family and friends, new clothes for a fresh start to the new year, and an abundance of red decorations.  The color red is considered a lucky color in Chinese and other Asian cultures.  A traditional gift for Chinese New Year is money enclosed in a red envelope, thought to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. Although mandarin oranges are an especially popular fruit during Chinese New Year, it’s also the perfect time of year for Red Anjou pears.  Juicy and sweet with a brilliant red color, they fit right in with the festivities! Continue reading →