Bauko Pears

Pears from Bauko, Mt Province! What?! Yup, we have local pears from a few dramatic trees near the farmers' houses. How they got there, nobody really knows.

It takes a few days for it to ripen so leave it on your kitchen counter to smell until the flesh yields. It's still supposed to be crispy like an apple or yacon, but grainy and less sweet. The peel is a little bitter but the aroma and taste are delicious. You could do a still life of this fruit, it's so soulful.

A little bit of googling leads me to believe it's one of the nashi varieties from Japan and makes me want to do a tsukemono with ginger and lemon. Other delightful ideas would be crunch for a salad paired with something salty and fatty plus candied nuts. Or poached in wine with yacon and warm spices (see @marieleaco). Or made into a cider (umezake style). My homemade fermented beet ketchup was a success and it incorporated some pears-- who knew?

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Did you know: "Pears are considered a major healing food for the Autumn season in Chinese Medicine. Pears have the quality of clearing heat, moistening and clearing phlegm from the lungs."

Recently, one of our long time mommy subscribers shared that pear soup and pear (made with a few slices of our pears, along with ginger and lemongrass) have helped offer immediate relief from cough symptoms!  

Most people prefer the sweeter, more fragrant varieties of pears, and that's why pears with more medicinal properties are hardly ever sold these days. Our local pears may be more grainy and tart than conventional but they do work wonders! What a joy that this local variety kept alive by our farmers in Bauko!