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Savor Gemlike Asian Pears
August 29, 2007
Savor Gemlike Asian Pears
Farmers' Markets DENISE MILLER For the Journal
What kind of fruit is small and round, yellow with tiny brown freckles, sweet and crunchy like an apple, and grows in New Mexico?
Surprisingly to many, the answer is Asian pears. And right now through the end of September you can find this delicacy at several Albuquerque area markets courtesy of fruit vendor extraordinaire Dave Miller.
Though Miller grows a variety of produce, it is his fruit -- apricots, sweet cherries, plums, peaches, apples and pears -- that always draws a crowd.
"As soon as I get to market in June, customers start asking how the pears are this year," he says.
While it's always pleasing to find locally grown pears of any kind -- there are many Bartlett and Red and Green Anjou available around the state -- stumbling upon Asian pears at market is a culinary find.
And in case one variety of Asian pear is not enough, Miller grows three varieties of this tasty fruit.
The small, round yellow ones, known as Shinseiki, have white, firm flesh that is crisp and juicy.
Twentieth Century pears are very similar to Shinseiki, but may be a little larger with a slightly smoother skin.
Finally, Miller's Hosui Asian pears have a golden brown textured skin, medium size and a softer flesh more like other pears.
Asian pears are great to eat fresh, and they taste wonderful in salads. Try the crunchy Shinseiki or Twentieth Century in a salad alongside crumbled blue cheese and walnuts with raspberry vinaigrette dressing for a special treat.
While pears are among the few fruits that improve after they are picked mature, but not ripe, Asian pears are more like apples. They are ready to eat when picked. They will last about a week at room temperature, or if placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated, can last up to three months.
As a full-time computer programmer, Miller has a flexible schedule that allows him to spend about 20 hours per week farming. He also relies upon the technical farming expertise of a longtime neighbor, as well as hired help during the peak of harvest season.
His six-acre farm is tucked in the middle of a North Valley subdivision. Although there was a small orchard and alfalfa growing there 30 years ago when he purchased the property, he has gradually added more and more fruit trees.
He now has about 300 fruit trees, none of which are sprayed, except for the apples trees that get sprayed for worms once during the season.
The greatest challenge Miller sees for farmers in the Albuquerque area is unequivocally the lack of water. "I think we're living on borrowed time," he says. "I think we're going to run out of water."
He described how watering his land from the nearby irrigation ditch has changed over time, where water that used to be released once a week now flows only once every two to three weeks. "You can't grow corn here anymore," he says.
Like other small growers who sell at farmers' markets around the state, Miller knows his customers. "People realize that produce tastes much better when it is locally grown," he says, but he still worries that people take farming for granted. "Development keeps imposing on the farmland," he says.
FEATURED GROWER
WHO: Dave Miller
WHERE TO FIND HIM: Los Ranchos Growers' Market, Albuquerque Downtown Market, Albuquerque Growers' Market (occasionally)
FEATURED CROP: Asian Pears
NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Pears are a good source of B-complex vitamins and also contain vitamins A and C.
SEASON: Now through end of September
