Traditional Pears Fall to Supermarket Demands

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Perry making: harvesting, crushing the fruits in a stone mill, and squeezing out the juice in a giant press; the juice ferments in wooden barrels over winter.
Perry making: harvesting, crushing the fruits in a stone mill, and squeezing out the juice in a giant press; the juice ferments in wooden barrels over winter.
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Perry pear tree, at least 200 years old, which continues to crop heavily in Herefordshire.
Perry pear tree, at least 200 years old, which continues to crop heavily in Herefordshire.
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Featuring a directory of 500 varieties of both ancient and modern pears with tasting notes and descriptions for every one,
Featuring a directory of 500 varieties of both ancient and modern pears with tasting notes and descriptions for every one, "The Book of Pears" reveals the secrets of the pear as a status symbol, introduces readers to some of the most celebrated fruit growers in history, and explains how the pear came to be so important as an international commodity

The Book of Pears (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015) by Joan Morgan is indispensable and a one-of-a-kind guide. It tells the story of the pear from its delightful taste and wonderful appearance to breeding and cultivation, following the fruit’s journey through history and around the world. This excerpt identifies the loss of our noble old world varieties as the markets from local to global.

“Orchards are like wood pasture, full of microhabitats, their biodiversity no less rich for having been sustained through nurture by many hands. They tell the
Seasons frankly, flaunting their blossom, dropping their fruit, enticing creatures large and small. They display an intricacy of peculiarity to a place.”
Sue Clifford and Angela King, England in Particular: A Celebration of the Commonplace, the Local, the Vernacular and the Distinctive, 2006.


  • Published on Apr 11, 2016
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