As summer fades to fall in Oregon, cooler temperatures and colorful leaves arrive. This transitional time is also peak harvest for Oregon’s official state fruit, the pear. Crisp and juicy fresh from the market, soft and succulent baked in desserts, pears cover over 14,000 acres of orchards spread across the state.
As the second-largest pear producer in the United States, Oregon welcomes visitors to Southern Oregon — home to holiday fruit-basket pioneers Harry & David — to enjoy these sweet fall treats. From farmers markets and U-pick farms to cideries where pears steal the show, here are some of the top places to try Oregon’s pears in the region.
Celebrate the Harvest at U-Pick Farms
Oregon’s pears are typically harvested between August and October, depending on the year’s weather patterns and the part of the state where they’re grown. Bartlett pears are among the first to be ready, while Bosc pears take a little longer to reach their prime picking point.
A fun way to source your pears is by picking them yourself at one of the many U-pick farms in the Rogue Valley and beyond — just check ahead of time to make sure that pears are ready and available. Valley View Orchard is a great spot to start. Established in 1919 as Wagner Orchards, this Ashland-area staple grows organic cherries, apricots, peaches and apples along with three types of pears (Bartlett, Seckel and Bosc).
There’s also a farm store where you can buy pre-picked fruit, small-batch jam, honey and bottles of the farm’s own Long Walk Vineyard wine. In nearby Central Point, Vaughn Farm and Orchard grows a variety of fruit, including five varieties of pear (Bartlett, Star Crimson, Packham’s Triumph, Bosc and Comice). Pick them for yourself or buy pre-picked pears from the farmstand.
You’ll find more pear-picking opportunities in the Umpqua Valley. In Winston Brosi’s Sugartree Farms grows a wide range of fruit and vegetables, from apples to watermelons along with peppers, pumpkins and, of course, pears. Come and pick some for yourself or stop by its farmstand to buy ready-picked fruit, jams, syrups and tasty baked goods. For an extra dose of fun, come in early October, when the farm’s annual Harvest Festival brings a day of family-friendly fun to the farms, complete with an apple slingshot, arts-and-craft booths, a pumpkin patch and more. Near Roseburg Norm Lehne Garden & Orchards has been supplying the local community with fresh, nourishing produce since 1974. The farm’s Bartlett pears are available for U-pick and at the Lehne Farms Farmstand during the season.
Sample Pears at Farmers Markets and a Heritage Company’s Store
Lehne Farms and many other Oregon pear growers also sell their fruit at some of Southern Oregon’s beloved farmers markets, including the Umpqua Valley Farmers Market, held every Saturday in Roseburg throughout the year, and the Sutherlin Farmers Market, which takes place on Friday afternoons from April through October. Farmers markets in the Rogue Valley are equally excellent for pear procurement. Rogue Valley Growers Markets are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays in Ashland from spring through fall, as well as on Thursdays in Medford.
Great spots to purchase pears in the Applegate Valley include the Jacksonville Sunday Market, where produce is paired with local wine and live music, and the Williams Farmers Market, which is held on Monday evenings. On Wednesday evenings, the Applegate Evening Market at The Lindsay Lodge and Restaurant brings together a wide range of vendors, from street food to farmers. All three markets are seasonal, running from late spring until early fall.
For some particularly famous pears, head to the headquarters of Harry & David, a Medford company established in 1914 that’s been selling fruit baskets through the mail since long before the era of online shopping. Although the company sells all sorts of fine foods, from cheeses to pepper jelly, it’s most famous for its Comice pears, which come wrapped in gold foil. Sample these celebrated pears and other delights in Medford at the Country Village store — or stick around for a factory tour. You can also visit five of Harry & David’s original Comice trees at Block 1A of its original Bear Creek Orchards in Medford. The orchards are free and open to the public during daylight hours.
Find even more pears and pear products along the Rogue Valley Food Trail.
Experience the Versatility of Pears Through Locally Produced Food and Drinks
While pears are delightful in their pure, untouched form, they also make a great ingredient for everything from ciders to ice cream. Immortal Spirits & Distilling Company uses Bosc and Comice pears grown in the Rogue Valley to create a semisweet pear eau de vie, which you can sample for yourself at its downtown Medford tasting room. Rogue Creamery wraps its award-winning Rogue River Blue cheese in grape leaves that have been soaked in pear spirits, releasing a new batch every autumn. Through a collaboration with Portland ice creamery Salt & Straw, this coveted cheese is also available in ice cream form, where it’s mixed with candied Oregon Bartlett pears.
Many Southern Oregon restaurants have these juicy orchard fruits on their menus, including Hearsay Restaurant, Lounge & Garden in Ashland, which serves a pear-and-arugula salad topped with shaved truffle pecorino cheese. Check seasonal menus across the region during the summer-fall harvests, when pears are at their most abundant. If you visit in the spring, make sure to stop by Medford’s annual Pear Blossom Festival’s Pear a Fare tent, where local purveyors offer all sorts of pear-infused goodies to sample.
One of the most popular uses for Oregon pears, besides simply eating them, is to create perry, a type of alcoholic cider made of pears instead of apples. This fermented beverage has long been popular in England but is gaining traction in Southern Oregon, where local producers take advantage of the region’s pear bounty to create this special drink. A great place to try it is at Medford’s Edenvale Winery/Eden Valley Orchards, the site of the first pear orchards in Oregon. The fruit used in Edenvale’s perries is sourced from these estate orchards, which were planted by Joseph H. Stewart — the father of the Oregon pear industry — in 1885.
In the Applegate Valley, Blossom Barn Cidery focuses entirely on turning its own orchard fruit into perries, creating both classic perries and co-ferments created with passion fruit and cherry juice. While a few of the cidery’s perries are available in stores and online, you’ll be able to sample a greater selection on draft at its homey farm tasting room near Grants Pass.
Traveling to other parts of the state in search of pears? Buy these juicy beauties in bulk or find U-pick options along Hood River Valley’s famed Fruit Loop or on the East Gorge Food Trail. Check out this list of more U-pick farms around the state.
