Thanks for the info Rob.My grafted Chojuro/Drippin' Honey is still a little young.Maybe next year there will be a few.
Please post how they are when ripe. Brady

Rob

My Mishirasu Asian pear fruit stays green until mid September then turn russet. Weighing around a pound a piece. Intensely sweet and crisp. The two in my hand are Mishirasu and the rest are Shinseiki.

Tony

Tony's look a little different than yours Rob. Maybe your tree in just further along?

I have both of them. This year only Mishirasu is fruiting but when they both fruit I will be able to compare.

So far this year its been lots of stinkbugs on the asian pears. The later ones will be better, the stinkers greatly prefer the earlier varieties for some reason.

Scott

Brady, I'll definitely post about the flavor once I try them. You may get fruits next year. Mine flowered heavily in only its 2nd year.

Tony, mine started to russet a few weeks ago. I suspect they start sooner here due to the warmer climate. Do yours have that tear-drop shape (hard to tell in the photos)? The flavor you describe sounds appealing.

Apple, yes, I think mine started to russet much sooner due to the warmer climate here. I suspect Tony's also has the same shape, it's just hard to tell due to the angle that he's holding them. The photo I posted is from Hartman's, but my fruit looks identical.

Scott, I'd like to hear your comparisons once they both fruit. As far as the stinkbugs, I thought the severe cold from this past winter would have put a dent in their numbers. I guess not.

Of course, it could be that when someone orders a "Drippin' Honey", the online sellers just send out whatever asian pear they have on hand. And, they can charge a premium because they are offering a "unique" fruit which no one else has, or so they make you think.

Rob,

It has that tear drop shape. They are a keeper.

Here are more infos of origin. "Mishirazu. Origin: May trace back to seed from China. Found in Hokkaido about 1887 where it was originally called Iida Nashi. Tested in Aomori testing center beginning in 1933. In 1956 this was the main cultivar grown in Hokkaido and occupied 63% of production. Named 'Mishirazu' by Dr. Hoshino. Fruit ripens in same period as Taihaku. Has been used in breeding and is a parent of Kitahoshi (Misharazu x Nijisseiki), Hokuto (Mijisseiki x Mishirazu), Hatsuhi (Chojuro x Mishirazu) and Amatama (Chojuro x Mishizaru). -- from I.Kajiura & Y.Sato. 1990. Recent progress in Japanese pear breeding and descriptions of cultivars based on literature review. Bulletin of the Fruit Tree Research Station (translated from Japanese by S. Wada, 12/2007)".

Tony

Tony, thanks for the history on the pear. I always enjoy learning about the history of what we grow.

I'm going to try the pear near the end of this week, and will give a report on the flavor. It may be a little early, as I've read that the usual ripening time is mid September. However, we're going on vacation and I want to try it before we leave. Hopefully, because of my warmer climate, they ripen a little earlier here, anyway. I'll post a follow up and a pic.

We got in on a great sale on Drippin Honey from Gurneys a few years ago and bought three of them. They are setting a crop of 8 or so fruit this year and they are huge! How big do they wind up getting? They look like small grapefruits. Let me know if you want me to post some pictures but mine look like Tony's currently with no russet on them at all yet. They are green as gourds here in zone 5.

This is what my Drippen Honey look like now. They are starting to russet. You can tell they are a long way behind since we are zone 5.

This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Thu, Sep 4, 14 at 23:33

They're looking good Clark.Let us know about their taste.Thanks,Brady

Well, I ate the pear the other day. It was pretty bland. Juicy, and good texture, but literally no flavor at all. We've had a good deal of rain this summer, and heavy rains the weekends before I picked it. I suppose all that rain may have helped to wash out the sweetness. I'm sure it was ripe because it came away from the tree easily when I lifted it. Anyway, it was just the first pear from the first year of production. Based on other reviews, I expect it to get better.

Below is a pick of the pear next to a small Liberty apple.

Clark, how did yours taste? I was wondering how yours were in comparison to mine.

I did not see this post until now but Drippen Honey taste excellent!

Often, the size and sweetness of a fruit is related to crop load. If you thin Mishirasu (remove fruit from the tree) early in the season, the remaining fruit will be a lot bigger and sweeter. Our Mishirasu grow to 1.5-2.0 lbs each and are quite sweet and juicy. On a 12 ft high X 14 ft diameter tree, we might leave maybe 30-40 pears total - so 2 or 3 fruits per branch. Keeps you from losing branches from excessive weight, too.