- ESTHER OERTEL
- Posted On
Mensam Mundum — World Table: It’s pear-adise in Lake County
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — You might say that pears are Lake County’s gold.
There’s no time when that’s more apparent than in September, when Lake County Bartletts show up almost everywhere and (in non-pandemic years) there’s a festival in the county to celebrate the crop. My heart swells just a bit when I see ads from out-of-county markets that tout the wonders of Lake County pears.
In other words, as fall approaches, it’s sweet pear-adise in Lake County.
Many varieties of pears are grown here (among others, the buttery, sweet Comice and the popular dessert pear, Bosc) but it’s the Bartlett that’s helped us achieve pear growing fame.
The histories of our county and this pear have been interwoven over the last century and more, with the result of this synergy a mutually beneficial agricultural tapestry that lives on today.
While there are fewer pear orchards here now than there were some decades ago, Lake County still produces a respectable crop as one of the largest suppliers of premium pears in the U.S.
Most farmers in the county were growing grain in the late 1800s and early 1900s when a few farmers planted pear orchards. Over time, pears became the crop of choice because of the higher profit margin they provided.
Lake County apples and pears — and most especially the Bartlett pear — attracted a lot of attention at the 1885 New Orleans World Fair, leading to the birth of an industry.
Dried Bartlett pears from Lake County, reputed to be the finest in the world, were referred to as “slabs of gold” and were extremely popular in Europe. Most were exported there until the market collapsed in the early 1920s.
Growers then began packing pears for the fresh market, and by the late 1920s, the industry was booming. Since then the market for pears has waxed and waned, with the destruction and replanting of orchards based on the need for the crop.
A high of almost 8,000 acres was reached in 1976, but since that time Lake County has lost roughly 50% of that acreage to other agricultural uses, as well as the majority of its packing houses.
The industry survives, however, and pears are still very much part of our identity. “Mountain Pears,” as Lake County pears are called, are especially prized because of the taste produced by hot days and relatively cool nights before harvest.
Thousands have thronged to the Kelseyville Pear Festival in past years, many from outside the county, to celebrate this golden harvest.
Though, like last year, the festival was canceled due to pandemic-related concerns, some celebratory activities still took place in Kelseyville last week (dubbed Pear Week), including a farm to fork dinner and street dance on Friday evening and the Pear Parade on Saturday morning. For creative cooks, the contest for the most stunning original pear dessert was still on.
Pears, along with their relatives apple and quince, are members of the rose family. Considering their delicately fragrant and slightly floral taste, this isn’t surprising.
One of the earliest written records of pears comes from Homer, who called them “gifts of the gods.”
While apples are homey and familiar, their near relatives pears are sophisticated. Truly, recipes with pears at their centerpiece are especially elegant, even those that are purposely rustic, like some pear tarts and pear-centric soups.
A diversity of flavor and texture among the different pear varieties makes for an endless (and delicious) array of pairings with wines and cheeses. Finding complementary matches is a delicious art — like pear poetry, if you will.
They were a popular fruit in the ancient world, particularly prized by the Persians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans.
Wild pears have grown in Europe and Asia since prehistoric times, and their cultivation in these places can be traced back at least 3,000 years. Now thousands of pear varieties exist worldwide, with some experts estimating the number as high as 5,000.
None are native to America, however. Like the apple, the first American pears were raised from seed (which were brought from England to Massachusetts in 1629), so they didn’t breed true to variety. Hence, American pears have become more diverse than their European ancestors.
Pears are high in vitamin C, have a healthy dose of vitamin K and lots of fiber. The vitamins are close to the skin, so pears are more nutritionally beneficial when eaten with the skin intact. The vitamins are at their peak when pears are fully ripe.
Pears may be ripened at room temperature or in a paper bag to hasten the process. Once ripe, enjoy their delicious flavor immediately or store in the refrigerator. They need plenty of air flow to prevent them from degrading quickly there, so storing them in plastic bags or in restrictive spaces isn’t recommended.
Today’s recipe is for chutney, a perhaps unusual but uniquely tasty way to use the pears that are in abundance now.
The secret to chutney is to create a balance of flavors, a perfect blend of sweet, spicy and tangy, with none predominant. Despite the long list of ingredients needed to achieve this, chutney is fairly simple to make.
This chutney can be served in a variety of ways — over goat cheese on crackers as an appetizer, with chicken, pork or smoked meats (try it in a sandwich!), or with hearty grains like bulgur wheat or brown rice.
The recipe calls for nutmeg used in my favorite way, the whole nut grated as needed. Ground nutmeg in a jar can be substituted, of course — use ¼ teaspoon at first and add more (sparingly) as needed to add a warm spicy note.
Pear chutney
2 pears, peeled and diced into ½ inch chunks (about 2 to 2 ½ cups)
1 medium shallot, peeled and finely diced
½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup diced dried pineapple
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 ½ lemons)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
¼ teaspoon dried chili flakes (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
¼ cup finely chopped scallions, green and white parts (about 1 to 2 scallions)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (leaves from about 20 sprigs)
Freshly grated nutmeg, about ½ nut
½ teaspoon salt
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute shallots, ginger and garlic until tender and fragrant, about three to five minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, until pears are tender but not mushy.
Allow to cool to room temperature if using immediately or transfer to a glass jar for storage in the refrigerator.
Chutney can be made one to two days in advance and refrigerated. It should be brought to room temperature before using.
This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups.
Recipe by Esther Oertel.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa. She lives in Middletown, California.