The comice pear is a winter European pear (Pyrus communis) that was imported to the United States in 1849 from France. It is a very sweet green-yellow fruit that is considered to be the best tasting pear available, making it extremely popular in holiday gift baskets. It grows well in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 through 9 and has relatively low winter chilling requirements compared to other cultivars.
Fruit trees must reach maturity in order to bear fruit. The comice pear is a relatively early fruiting tree and will bear within 3 to 5 years compared with 4-8 for most other varieties of pears. They can live to be up to 75 years old, giving the pear one of the longest life expectancies among fruit trees. It is safe to say that a comice pear tree will provide at least half a century worth of quality fruit.
Comice pears begin as yellow blooms in the mid spring. Their ability to produce without cross pollination depends on where the tree is located. In the western United States, they are considered self-fertile, but produce even better with a pollinator. On the opposite side of the country, the eastern-grown comice pears require a pollinator in order to produce. Bosc pears, hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, are a good choice for cross-pollination in either instance. Using a cotton swab to pollinate by hand can also help to encourage fruiting. Simply brush the swab lightly from pistil to stamen repeatedly around the tree. Comice are one of the latest harvested pears and can be picked from late summer into early fall, reaching shelves for sale by October.
Comice pear fruits have a very long shelf life, but require some extra care. Like many fall fruits, they need to be kept in cold storage prior to eating. Place pears in a location approximately 30 degrees F for two to six weeks, then remove them to a warmer environment. They must be kept for five to seven days in temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 degrees F in order to sweeten. Comice pears can be stored for up to four months, making them freshly available from late fall through January.
It is possible to force a pear tree to bear fruit before its natural maturity, extending the number of years it will bear fruit. This is only successful when the tree has begun blooming, but is not yet bearing fruit. Both methods prune away pieces of the tree in order to direct energy into fruiting. The first option is to prune the two-year-old shoots back to the flower buds once the buds appear. The second is to remove the tips of any fast-growing shoots in May or June.
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