Taylor's Gold Pears

Estimated Inventory, 15 lbs : 0

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Description/Taste

Taylor's Gold pears are medium to large in size and have a shape very similar to a comice pear, large and round at the base tapering slightly to a smaller curved neck and thick, dark brown stem. The skin is smooth, uniform, and cinnamon-colored with the occasional rose blush and is covered in russeting. The ivory to cream-colored flesh is firm and moist with a delicate aroma and encases a central core filled with a few black-brown seeds. When ripe, Taylor’s Gold pears are creamy, juicy, and tender with a rich, sweet flavor and mild notes of honey.

Seasons/Availability

Taylor's Gold pears are available in the mid-spring through summer in New Zealand, which is the fall through early winter in the northern hemisphere.

Current Facts

Taylor’s Gold pears, botanically classified as Pyrus communis, are a European variety that are members of the Rosaceae family along with apples and peaches. An early season variety, Taylor’s Gold pears are a sport or mutation of the comice pear and are most widely grown and found in New Zealand. Taylor’s Gold pears are one of the most popular varieties in New Zealand today, commonly grown in backyard gardens, and are favored for their creamy consistency and sweet flavor.

Nutritional Value

Taylor’s Gold pears contain potassium, antioxidants, calcium, fiber, and vitamin C.

Applications

Taylor’s Gold pears are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as baking, simmering, and poaching. They can be enjoyed fresh, out-of-hand, sliced into chicken salads, green salads, or pasta salads, dipped in chocolate or yogurt, paired with strong cheeses on a cheese plate, or sliced and pickled for extended use. Taylor’s Gold pears can also be baked into pies, tarts, puddings, or cakes, simmered into sauces, jams, baby food, and compotes, or blended and frozen into sorbet. Taylor’s Gold pears complement cheeses such as blue, gorgonzola, camembert, and brie, rosemary, cardamom, cinnamon, anise, cloves, and nutmeg, arugula, cilantro, mint, ginger, lemon, and white balsamic vinegar. Taylor’s Gold pears have a short lifespan and will only keep for a couple of days when stored at room temperature and a couple of weeks when stored in the refrigerator.

Ethnic/Cultural Info

In addition to being known for fresh eating and baking, Taylor’s Gold pears are known for their use in hard cider. In the fall of 2014, Bold Rock, a Virginia-based company, used Taylor’s Gold pears along with comice and packham pears in their new pear hard cider. Company founder and acclaimed cider maker Brian Shanks is from New Zealand and wanted to incorporate the pears from his home country and use the natural sweetness from the fruit to add depth to the cider.

Geography/History

Taylor’s Gold pears were first discovered in an orchard owned by Michael King-Turner in 1986 near Nelson, New Zealand. There is some debate on whether the variety is a natural mutation of a comice pear or if it is a natural cross between a bosc and a comice pear, but despite its genetic origins, Taylor’s Gold has found popularity in New Zealand and was first grown in the United States in Washington State in 1998. Today Taylor’s Gold pears are available in limited quantities at farmers markets and specialty grocers in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.