What to Do with Pears? Pairings and Recipe

September 2010

What to Do with Pears?

The pears in our small orchard here at Johnson Estate are just ripening. All right, I'll admit it, I was fascinated by the idea of an espaliered lane of pear trees and planted three kinds: Bartlett, Bosc, and Seckel. I did not really concern myself then, of course, of dealing with the abundance of pears once they started fruiting! Well, that day has arrived and here are a few ideas - some quite simple, combining the natural affinity of pears and cheese with wine (Johnson Estate, of course), plus a salad recipe from a best friend who serves it at Thanksgiving and uses our Johnson Estate Port.



1. Bosc Pears with White Cheddar Cheese: Serve with Johnson Estate's Freeling Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

2. Bosc Pears with Parmesan Reggiano: Serve with Johnson Estate's Freeling Creek Estate Riesling (pictured above)

3. Anjou Pears with Soft Goat Cheese: Serve with Johnson Estate's Seyval Blanc (aromatic like a Sauvignon Blanc)

4. Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese and Arugula: These lighted sweetened baked pears and salty Stilton offer the perfect complements to the complex, peppery flavor of arugula. Click here to see full recipe.

Spring Projects at Johnson Estate

While the rest of us are eager for warm, sunny spring days, the vineyard owner is always restrained - even after cold, snowy winters like this one. Not too much heat, not too fast. Don't want the buds to grow too early and then be nipped by a spring frost. This spring's unseasonally warm weather has provoked worry about whether this will happen this year. But, so far, so good.

Life is very busy in the spring at a farm and vineyard, but especially so this year at Johnson Estate. After well over a year of deliberation and planning, we have commenced construction of the new warehouse. It will be sandwiched between the historic cold storage building where the retail room is and the more modern tank building. The new building will house finished goods (aka cases of bottled wine!) at stable temperatures, and permit us room in the original building to expand our retail room which is sometimes choked during busy times. Brian, who is in charge of the everyday winemaking under the supervision of Jeff Murphy, our winemaker, is in seventh heaven and is like a small child waiting for his birthday surprise. In the future, he and his crew will not have to endure western New York chills to pass from building to building! Photos soon!

Mid-Winter's Day

Seven degrees doesn't seem to be an amicable way to start the day, but this one was a sunny one. The snow was crunchy underfoot and there was no wind. Good day to commence pruning of my espaliered pear trees - much easier, somehow, than fruit trees growing "freeform".

Despite very cold winter days, the grape vines on Johnson Estate's 110 acres are being pruned from dawn to dusk. Little by little, the crews are making their way around the farm, pruning first the hardy concord and labruscan vineyards before moving to the more delicate ones which are pruned last so that any winter damage is evident. Before they are pruned, the vines are shaggy with the growth of the previous summer's canes - a reddish brown, the color of cinnamon sticks. The happier the vines were the previous summer, the more the canes there are and the more lush the color.

Pruning, it turns out, is an art and many elements go into it. How old is the vine? How vigorous was last year's growth, are the main canes healthy? How much fruit does the winemaker want from the vineyard in the next season? The men and women holding the shears know the answers to these questions, usually, and somehow, almost instinctively, prune appropriately and quickly. Practice makes perfect, I am sure.