Pear Love

One of our pear growers, Jeff McNerney, sent us these adorable pictures of his nephew this week. He is such a doll…I couldn’t resist sharing! Jeff says, “Here’s our nephew Kellen Goss eating an Anjou last week. My wife Cassandra baby sits him on Fridays and he always prefers the pears over his vegetables. The only problem is his mom always changes more diapers after he’s been visiting his pear farmer uncle’s place!”   Stay tuned for more kid-friendly fare in the coming weeks! And if you haven’t already, check out our brand-new kids website, Pear World! How do the kids in your life enjoy pears? Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Growing Regions: Yakima

We’re still waiting—very, very patiently—for this season’s fresh pear harvest to start. USA Pears should be popping up on supermarket shelves in the next few weeks, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a juicy, sweet Bartlett! In the meantime, let’s take a look at another of our fertile growing regions: Yakima. Like many of our growing regions, the Yakima Valley is known for its rich soil, mild climate, and open spaces, which combine to make the valley a perfect location to grow beautiful USA Pears, along with asparagus, cherries, apples, pumpkins, and dozens of other delicious fruits and vegetables. Oh, and let’s not forget the wine! Yakima is home to many local, award-winning wineries. The valley lies in the same latitude as France’s famous vineyards, making for the perfect birthplace of great wine varietals. It’s a great Continue reading

Growing Regions: Mid-Columbia

The countdown continues at Pear Bureau Northwest as we eagerly await a new season of USA Pears! Last season’s crop can still be found—in fact, I was surprised to see a few Green Anjou USA Pears in the produce section of my local grocery store last night—but we’re looking forward to seeing vivid Red and Yellow Bartletts and brilliant Starkrimson pears on the shelves soon! As we patiently wait, I think it’s time to learn a little more about where these delicious pears grow. Let’s take a look at the second of our four main growing regions, Mid-Columbia. This region stretches from White Salmon, Washington south to Hood River, Oregon—home to windsurfers, microbrews, and sweet and juicy USA Pears! In Hood River, you can truly follow your food from farm to fork, thanks to the Fruit Loop. The Fruit Loop Continue reading

Growing Regions: Wenatchee

The last of the 2009–10 pear crop is on grocery shelves, but at Pear Bureau Northwest, we’re already gearing up for a new season of fresh USA Pears!  Our four growing regions are eagerly anticipating the fresh pears they’ll be harvesting in just a few weeks. In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to the rich, fertile growing regions that produce USA Pears. First up: Wenatchee, Washington. The Wenatchee Valley is nestled in the heart of Washington state, with Seattle a few hours to the west and Spokane a few hours east. The valley is known for its abundance of tree fruit orchards (pears, apples, and cherries) and local wineries. The Columbia River flows nearby, providing ample opportunities to fish, raft, and hike along its banks. Wenatchee is a great place to get away for a weekend—you’ll find everything Continue reading

Happy National Pear Month!

December is officially National Pear Month, and here in the Pacific Northwest we’re celebrating!  Here are six things you can do to join in the fun: 1.  This one’s obvious:  incorporate pears into your meals, snacks, desserts and beverages!  You’ll find plenty of inspiration here, or invent something and send me a photo (you might just win something). 2.  Decorate with fresh pears – they look beautiful in wreaths, centerpieces, garlands and more.  Follow the simple directions for one of our projects, or invent your own and send me another photo! 3.  Make a gift basket using fresh pears for friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, the mailman, whoever.  Once again, we have instructions and inspiration here, and I don’t want to say it again but I will, INVENT YOUR OWN AND SEND ME A PHOTO! 4.   Click here to receive our monthly e-newsletters.  They always Continue reading

Celebrate Pears this Weekend – Fruit Loop Style!

The Hood River Valley is world renowned for growing incredible pears, and the members of the Hood River Fruit Loop are PROUD of it!  This weekend, September 19-20, is the official Pear Celebration where you can taste more than 18 varieties of pears, sample special pear desserts, drink pear cider and wine, tour pear orchards and more.  Check out the map and list of attractions at hoodriverfruitloop.com.  Can’t make it to Hood River for the Pear Celebration this weekend? Never fear, because several of the Fruit Loop farms offer gifts by mail.  We’re talkin’ canned pears, pear butter, pear sauce, dried pears, pear wine, and gift boxes of fresh pears, of course! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Harvest Has Begun!

The pear growers of Oregon and Washington are predicting one of the largest crops in history, and soon (if you haven’t already) you’ll see this year’s bountiful harvest appearing in your favorite grocery store! Click here to learn more about USA Pears and the families who grow them! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Pears + Olympic Skier Torin Koos

USA Pears is proud sponsor of Torin Koos, a two-time Olympian who grew up in Leavenworth, Washington.   For those of you who aren’t familiar with the area, Leavenworth is located about 20 miles northwest of Wenatchee, in the heart of this major pear-producing region.  Check out some of Torin’s stats, and look for more about this pear-loving athlete as he trains for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics! Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn