11/14/2024
Thank you for the shout out !
Pears are symbol of mysterious reliance and our wild pear foraging and scion collecting project is an ongoing act of hope and love. Pears and people have a long relationship and archaeological evidence shows pears being used by people at Neolithic sites in the British isles upwards of 10,000 years ago. The trees are universally slow growing and rather feral (even the tamest varieties and not really that tame.) They have insanely dense, hard, gnarly and brittle wood, sometimes with thorns, are late to bear fruit and sometimes can be shy bearers but they are quite long lived. On their own roots, some pears grow 40’ tall with awkward vertical branches that are difficult to climb and difficult to shake. Pear fruits seem 50% heavier than apples and press out with 50% less yield. The timing of harvest and pressing can be difficult to gauge with some pears bletting on the tree making it almost impossible to shake with out turning to mush and some pears never blett, dropping massive tannin gels that make racking difficult. And yet, despite the challenges, we can’t stop being fascinated by making Perry. How magical that these hard-won and nearly inedible tannin bombs transform during fermentation into the most delicate and lovely of pomme beverages?
It feels so nice to see results of this elaborate effort appreciated on the pages of the New York Times.
-posted by Autumn
