Organic Asian Pears

Morning Star Ventures LLC, our family owned business, would like to introduce you to a crisp, extra-sweet fruit that looks like an apple but has the genetic makeup of a pear. Asian pears are bursting with very sweet juice but without the grittiness of European pears. They do not change texture after picking and storage as other pears do; in fact they are the longest storable fruit.

The history of the fruit dates back more than 3000 years ago when first cultivated by the Chinese. They are called salad pears, pear apples, Nashi (Japanese for "pear"), Oriental, Chinese or Japanese pears. Oriental horticulture practices are credited for producing a large, high quality pear, of perfect shape, color, and conformity. Their orchards are trellised for high yield and meticulously groomed.

Most of the labor is performed by hand. To be the best, you learn from the best. In 1995, Morning Star Ventures visited the famed Tottori Prefecture on the North coast of Japan.We visited many orchards and agriculture experimental stations, gleaning valuable knowledge from the masters.

We continue to expand and refine the techniques used in our orchards. We have learned how to size and shape the fruit and when to harvest for the best short and long term eating and storage properties. We are blessed with good soil. Our mild climate with warm days and cool nights provides optimum temperatures for the highest quality fruit. Our gourmet quality Asian pears are grown in individual bags, tree ripened, and then picked and sorted by gloved hands.

Our pears received first, second and third place during one year of the Oregon State Fair. Our orchards produce the 20th Century and Shinseiki varieties. We specialize in these two yellow skinned pears because they are similar to and pollinate one another. These are the best known and most popular of the many varieties. They are both round, pale yellow fruit with an extremely juicy, crisp, and sweet white flesh. The fruit is fully ripened on the tree for the best possible flavor. The pear retains its freshness and crispness throughout a long storage life. Asian pears have a shelf life of 10-12 days at room temperature, but will last much longer if refrigerated. Each pear is individually bagged in the spring and grows within the bag on the tree until the harvest. The bags are imported and placed one at a time by hand on the most perfect pear in the cluster. This is a very labor intensive and, therefore expensive process. The bags protect the fruit from direct sun, birds, and insects without using chemicals. The resulting premium pear has a very thin and delicate skin. Our theory is that the energy saved from not forming the normal, non-bagged, thicker, darker skin results in a larger, sweeter fruit with beautiful pale color that is highly prized in the Orient.

Our family business sells only what we grow on our own land and therefore we can monitor and maintain very high standards. Our orchard has been certified organic by Oregon Tilth since 1992. Tilth is an old English word meaning to cultivate quality soil. Oregon Tilth is the most stringent and respected organic certifying agency and sets the standards for other agencies around the world. We take great satisfaction knowing that our family and friends can labor in a safe environment to produce save, nutritious, and high quality fruit.