MILWAUKIE, Ore. (January 25, 2024) – Bosc pears are a favorite among pear lovers due to their crisp, sweet flavor as well as their versatility in recipes from salads to baking. Kicking off the new year, Pear Bureau Northwest highlighted the most popular Bosc pear recipes from 2023 in a social media campaign in January entitled “Begin the Year with Bosc”. This is being followed up with a landing page with links to all of the top Bosc recipes on the world’s largest website dedicated to pears: usapears.org.

The recipes highlight the versatility and deliciousness of Bosc pears by unveiling the top Bosc recipes in categories from breakfast through dinner and dessert based on views on USAPears.org and the organization’s Pinterest page (@USApears).

“The web traffic speaks for itself,” says Jim Morris, Marketing Communications Manager. “We reviewed our web traffic data and our top Pinterest pins for the 2023, and Bosc clearly stands out.”

Popular recipes run the gamut, from an oatmeal recipe for breakfast to a sheet pan recipe for dinner. “And don’t forget to leave room for dessert,” Morris added. Recipes for tarts and cakes also made the list. From sweet to savory, the top seven dishes include: pear tarts, baked chips, sheet pan chicken, oatmeal, salad, upside-down cake and a pear and gorgonzola pizza.

“From enticing snacks to indulgent desserts and wholesome dinners, these recipes showcase the incredible range of possibilities that Bosc pears bring to the table,” stated Kevin Moffitt, Pear Bureau President and CEO.

“This campaign is not only about celebrating the culinary delights of Bosc pears; it’s a collective effort to encourage everyone, from chefs to home cooks, to explore and savor the versatility that Bosc pears offer,” added Moffit.

The post Seven Popular Bosc Recipes Consumers Loved in 2023 appeared first on USA Pears.

“Pear growers are in full harvest mode right now hand picking a new crop of beautiful, tasty pears starting with Bartletts and Starkrimson,” stated Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of PBNW. “There will be a full range of sizes available, including large-sized fruit as well as smaller sizes to fill the popular pouch bags as well as sizes to fulfill export market demand. Our team has been working hard to initiate innovative and effective promotions to get the season off to a good start. Retailers are engaged and optimistic about the pear season.”

Across all regions, harvest started in late-August for summer varieties like Starkrimson and Bartletts, with growers beginning to pick Bosc, green and red Anjou in early- to mid- September. Specialty pears like Comice, Seckel, Forelle and Concorde pears will also be available in September, to provide an exceptional assortment of unique and flavorful pear choices for shoppers in an array of shapes and colors to enhance any produce department display.

The organic pear estimate is expected to come in at 1.9 million standard boxes equivalents, or 12.5% of the total projected Northwest crop.

“Our growers and shippers understand that consumers buy with their eyes but flavor is what brings them back for more. The industry is driven to provide consumers with the best possible eating experience,” stated Moffitt. “To meet consumer demands for sweet and juicy pears to enjoy one to three days from purchase, the industry continues to expand and promote the conditioning program, which is proven to increase retail sales and enhance the consumer eating experience,” Moffitt continued.

Bob Catinella, PBNW Director of Merchandising added, “As shoppers continue to adapt to shopping on digital platforms, the Pear Bureau has seen success in reaching consumers online as well as in-store. We’ve been working closely with retailers to introduce new omni-channel programs to motivate purchase.”

DOMESTIC PROMOTIONS

Capitalizing on the latest trends and innovations in digital marketing as well as in-store, PBNW is initiating fresh promotions across the U.S. and Canada. The 2023-24 season will kick off with an updated social campaign by updating last season’s successful ‘Meet the Pear’ creative, while inspiring consumers with simple ways they can add fresh pears to their everyday dishes. PBNW will also continue to expand online shopping programs at retail with sponsored search, shoppable recipes and other shopper marketing promotions.

“Pears are incredibly versatile and can be used in a wide variety of cooking applications,” said Jim Morris, Marketing Communications Manager. “This season we’re excited to create fun ways to help kids in the kitchen with a new e-book that offers several simple recipes they can prepare on their own.”  The e-book will be available at usapears.org in October. Other special promotions for the season will include our annual celebration of World Pear Day on December 2 and new recipes, including one for World Diabetes Day on November 14, helping to promote pears as a ‘sweet you can eat.’

INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS

The PBNW export team also continues to look for new, innovative ways to reach consumers and to build on the success of the past season with its digital consumer outreach activities in markets around the world.

“Improving shipping conditions should lead to a brighter export outlook for the NW pear industry this season,” said Jeff Correa, International Marketing Director. “Mexico, Canada and Central America will be the key targeted markets and the Pear Bureau has plans to increase its advertising activities and consumer outreach events earlier in the season to get off to a strong start in these markets.”

“A return to in-store sampling in the Mexico market will help complement the added digital programs and advertising activities planned in that market. With shipping transit times returning closer to normal and container costs coming down, PBNW expects the industry to look to move more export volumes to key offshore export markets like Taiwan, UAE, Israel, Colombia and India than they did in the 22/23 season.”

The post Northwest Fresh Pear Industry Announces 2023 Crop Estimate and Promotions appeared first on USA Pears.

Overripe Pears

Though some of your overripe pears may be a little too mushy for just eating on their own, they are perfect for things like smoothies and muffins. Throwing a pear into a smoothie is a great way to get more fiber into your diet, and they’re a low glycemic food meaning they digest and absorb slower, keeping you feeling full for longer. Or if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, this pear lassi recipe with cardamom and yogurt is perfect. 

If you have a bunch of pears to use up that are either too ripe, or you just have too many pears to eat all at once, pear butter is a fantastic way to utilize those in a delicious and easy to store way. 

Peels and Cores

It’s not just being able to use overripe pears that make them a zero waste food, it’s the fact that we can use the entire pear for other recipes. Did you just make a pear tart, or poached pears and now you’re just going to throw away the peels and cores? Don’t throw those away either! 

Lots of pear peels on hand from poached pears are perfect to make pear peel sugar. This sugar is great to add a flavored topping on desserts, or use in place of granulated sugar in baked goods such as these muffins. You can also substitute pear peels for sliced pears in these spiced pear chips.

You can also use the peels and cores to make a syrup that is delicious on pancakes or waffles, or even to add into a marinade for ribs. And if syrup is not really your thing, you can also use all those scraps to make a pear vinegar, great for dressings or anything else you would use apple cider vinegar for.

Storage Tips for your Pears

• Leave firm, unripe pears at room temperature so that they can ripen.
• Check the Neck for Ripeness daily, by applying gentle pressure to the neck, or stem end, of the pear with your thumb. If it yields to pressure, then it’s ripe and ready to eat!
• Once the pear is ripe, it can be refrigerated to slow the ripening process and saved for use up to five days later.

Keep a fresh fruit fresh
Like many fruits, the flesh of cut or peeled pears will eventually brown. This natural oxidation process won’t affect the taste or quality. However, to keep your pears looking appetizing and to prevent browning, dip them in a mild solution of 50% water and 50% lemon juice!

Remember, don’t refrigerate an unripe pear!
Ripened pears can be used at once or put under refrigeration (35º to 45º F) until you want to use them. Refrigeration will delay further ripening but will not stop it altogether, giving you adequate time to include fresh pears in your menu planning.  Remember, pears need to ripen at room temperature, so don’t refrigerate an unripe pear!

The post Pears – A Zero Waste Food appeared first on USA Pears.