>
An old-fashioned cooking pear, county emblem of Worcestershire
This old pear variety comes into season in the winter, and as a long keeping fruit, it formed an important part of the winter diet until root-crops were introduced.
The fruit is larger than average and the flesh hard and coarse; sharp and bitter when raw, but excellent when stewed. It may also have been used to make perry.
The skin ripens to a dark reddish black, the flesh is a tranluscent white.
Season:
Flowers mid-season, but harvest can be well into the winter.
They may be picked from late October when it is crisp, hard and gritty and then can be stored until April. They never really ripen and may well stay on the tree until December.
Pollination:
Group C
Rootstock:
Quince A
Notes
:
Also known as Parkinson's Warden.
It may have come to the UK by the Romans. 'Black Worcester' was recorded as being grown by monks at the Abbey of Warden in Bedfordshireas early as 1388.
Warden Pie is refenced in many historical sources including Shakespear.