Growers of Asian pears in California are just beginning their season now. Summer conditions have been friendly to the pears, and growers have been waiting for the fruit to color up before beginning harvest. The pears will be harvested over the next six to eight weeks and will then be available from storage until early in the New Year.
"We started harvesting our Asian pears this week and the crop is looking fantastic," said Casey Hollnagel of Vertical Foods. "We grow the Shinko variety which will be available for the next four months. After excellent growing conditions, the season started on time and the quality is excellent. We wait until the color and sugar levels are just right before picking to ensure people enjoy a great eating experience from the pears we offer. It means we are usually a little later than others, however there is no need to rush due to the relatively long availability."
Hand packing preferred
Asian pears are quite delicate and that's why Hollnagel said all pears packed by Vertical Foods are hand-packed. "We prefer to hand pack Shinko pears because of their delicate skin," he said. "We mostly pack them in a single layer tray presented in a hand-packed style. Each piece of fruit has a PLU sticker along with socks to keep the skin protected."
Shinko are not a major California crop, with relatively limited volume compared with other fruits and even other pears. However, for some growers, it complements well with their other offerings. "Asian pears complement our fall line up - fuyu persimmons, hachiya persimmons, kiwifruit, pineapple quince and satsuma mandarins," Hollnagel shared. "Overall, they fit in well with our other specialty varieties and we are subsequently known as a specialty house among our buyers."
Fall items taking over from figs
One of the main items offered by Vertical Foods during the summer are figs. The company has just finished packing the last of its California figs. Hollnagel said Shinko pears are one of the fall items that are offered by the company before it returns to figs with its Mexico crop in November.
"Our Mexico fig season starts in November," he shared. "We have moved away from Chilean figs because Mexico presents many advantages. Because the figs grow in a tropical part of the country, the season is longer, November through May. Additionally, we’re able to transport the fresh figs from central Mexico in refrigerated truck as opposed to air shipments from Chile which is much more expensive while also compromising the temperature requirements needed to maintain the condition of the figs. Ultimately, our mission is to offer both conventional and organic fresh figs year round while maintaining the quality and freshness our customers have come to expect from Vertical Foods."
For more information:
Casey Hollnagel
Vertical Foods LLC
Tel: +1 (559) 743-0100
casey@verticalfoodsllc.com
www.verticalfoodsllc.com