Pears have been around for over 4000 years coming from the Caucasus and spread over from Asia and Europe to North America. Today, pears are considered a stable in any American supermarket, but in comparison to fruits like apples and oranges, pears can be difficult to incorporate into your daily meals. Pear Month is here to change that.
History of Pear Month
Pear Month, started by USA Pears and officially declared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a month-long holiday dedicated to educating people about how to tell the ripeness of a pear and how to make the most out of eating pears. USA Pears created this holiday back in 2011 based off of a survey that stated that 84% of shoppers cannot tell when a pear is ripe when they are shopping in a grocery store. According to USA Pears, checking the ripeness of a pear can make all the difference because pears, when harvested, don’t come off the tree ripe but rather mature. The best way to check if a pear is ripe is the check the stem of the pear.
USA Pears chose the month because of the fact that most pears, specifically the 10 types of Northwest pears, get harvested during the month of December. Pears also have high nutritional value, having more fiber than bananas, oranges, and strawberries. This fruit is also hypoallergenic, safe for people with allergies to eat, and has pectin which helps control high cholesterol. Pear Month encourages people to eat more pears and get more creative with pear recipes because of its texture and light flavor. As part of this celebration, USA Pears creates national tours and chef competitions to create the most out of using pears to help shine the light on how pears can improve overall health and being.
How to celebrate Pear Month
One of the best ways to celebrate Pear Month is to buy pears from your local grocery store or farm and start cooking with pears. There are multiple recipes online that you can look up and experiment with what pears can do to improve your food. Share this holiday on social media to let your friends know what day it is using the hashtag #pearmonth and talk about why you love pears so much.
