Foraging spot
Pear tree
Pick slightly firm and ripen on the counter.
Coordinates: 37.853973, -122.264816
What to do with it
- Eat ripe and raw
- Poach in wine or spices
- Roast alongside savory dishes
Ways to keep it
- Perry / pear cider (ferment)
- Pear butter or jam
- Spiced pickled pears (vinegar)
- Dry into chips
About Pear
Pears are a genus of trees, Pyrus , in the family Rosaceae, that bear an edible apple-like fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are cultivated for their fruit and juices, while others are grown as ornamental flowering trees. Pear trees are mostly medium to small-sized, though some grow as shrubs. They grow in temperate regions, being native to Asia and distributed across Europe and the mountains of North Africa. The wood of pear trees is a preferred material in the manufacture of high-quality woodwind instruments and furniture. About 3,000 varieties of pears are grown worldwide, varying in both shape and taste. In 2024, world production of the fruit was about 28 million tonnes, led by China with 76% of the total. The fruit is consumed fresh, canned, as juice, dried, or fermented as perry.
From Wikipedia.
Tree and plant locations come from Falling Fruit, a volunteer-run map of the urban harvest, used under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. This project is non-commercial. Locations are crowd-sourced and provided as-is — always confirm a plant's identity and that you're welcome to pick before foraging.
Photos and descriptions from Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons. Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not affiliated with Falling Fruit, Wikimedia, or OpenStreetMap.