Nashi pears come from eastern Asia, China, Japan and Korea. They are very juicy and resemble apples in shape. Don looked at the best varieties for the home garden, while Geoff Jansz used Nashis to prepare an appetiser and a dessert.
Varieties
‘Nijisseiki’
An upright, spreading tree, which is partially self-fertile. It produces juicy, medium-sized fruit with yellowish green, clear skin. The fruit is of good eating quality, with a mild flavour becoming tart nearer the core.
‘Hosui’
This tree has a weeping habit. The fruit is medium/large, with light brown skin and sweet, juicy flesh. It is pollinated by Nashi varieties ‘Shinsui’, ‘Nijisseiki’ and ‘Kosui’.
‘Kosui’
The fruit of ‘Kosui’ is golden yellow to tan. The flesh is juicy and tender, with a slightly bland flavour. It is pollinated by Nashi varieties ‘Hosui’, Chojuro’ and ‘Nijisseiki’.
Growing Nashi pears
Nashi pears are deciduous fruit trees, producing an abundance of fruit in autumn and pretty white flowers in spring. They are most readily available from nurseries during winter when they are sold bear-rooted (this means when the plant has no leaves -because it’s deciduous- & there’s no soil around the roots). Winter is the best time to plant them.
Nashi pears prefer a cool, temperate climate (see the best climate map above) but there are also some new ‘low-chill’ varieties such as ‘Tropical Sunshu’ and ‘China’ that will grow in warmer climates. They require a sunny position with room to grow, reaching around 4 metres wide and 5 metres tall. They prefer a well-drained soil.
The Nashi pear variety featured in our story, ‘Nijisseiki’ are self-pollinating, which means it does not need to have another pear plant nearby in order to pollinate it and therefore fruit. However, some other varieties need a pollinating partner, check the label when you buy your pear.
Pear care & crops: They often set large crops, so thinning of smaller fruit is necessary. Thinning helps prevent limb breakage and allows the remaining fruit to grow to optimum size and quality. Pick your nashi pears when the fruit is ripe and yellowy-green.
Nashi Pear pests & diseases: The only major pest in most areas of Australia is Pear and cherry slug (Caliroa cerasi). The larvae of this glossy black sawfly feed on the upper surface of the leaves until only the veins remain. You can ignore the problem, hose the larvae off the leaves, which is what we recommend, or use a caterpillar killer such as Dipel.
When to buy: Nashi pears are available bare-rooted from nurseries in July and August – order from your local nursery. Expect to pay from $35-$45 for 2 year-old bare rooted trees. For more information about Nashi pears, contact the Australian Nashi Growers Association, phone: (03) 5825 3700.
Recipes
Nashi Pear & Rocket Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 2 cups Nashis, peeled and diced
- juice of 1 lemon
- 50ml walnut oil or olive oil
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup rocket leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 small breadstick, sliced
- 200g soft blue cheese
Method
1. Slice the breadstick and grill the slices.
2. Spread with blue cheese and top with the Nashi mix.
Nashi Pears Poached in Red Wine
Ingredients
- 6-8 Nashi pears, peeled and cored
- 750ml red wine
- 375ml water
- 11/2-2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 4 cloves
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split
- 4 strips orange rind, washed
- 2 strips lemon rind, washed
- prunes, pitted (optional)
Method
1. Put the red wine, water, sugar, cinnamon quill, cloves, vanilla bean, orange rind and lemon rind into a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Peel the Nashis and prepare in one of the following ways:
– leave the cores in
– remove the cores
– remove the cores and stuff with pitted prunes
3. When you have prepared the Nashis, add them to the saucepan, cover with a lid and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the lid on and allow to reach room temperature.
4. Serve chilled with vanilla ice cream.