Thursday, October 10, 2013

Pears and the brandy....

another pleasure of autumn is the golden and russet ripening of pears.
yes, yummy right off the tree, organic style.....like this one that grew on my old old pear tree.


 It is an old French trick to grow a pear in a glass bottle, yes. Right in the pear orchard, you encase a tiny pear in a bottle and let it grow. Then, snip it and bottle it with brandy.


If you'd like to try it...here's a link to the UK's Telegraph and a lovely explanation of the olde technique.


Look, Pear Brandy!!!


Did you know there are more than a dozen varieties of pears that are grown all over the world? Well, there are! Most people in the US have only seen 2 ...maybe 3 varieties.





My tree is an old Bartlett, and probably the most common and well-known. In US supermarkets, I've seen green  Anjou, Bosc, Comice, and once in a while, the red Anjou.
I love that the green Anjou don't change to yellow....they stay green even when ripe and juicy. That makes them fun to decorate with......I love a shot of green fruit or flower in a display.... shakes up the usual expectations. That's why I've always grown green zinnias, variegated leaves, black pansies, purple leaf anything!
USApears has more info.....




 Here's some Pear shades of autumn in vintage separates listed at funkomavintage........

vintage Hawaiian cape blouse in lovely fall colors....


gold sequins, vintage 60s party blouse..with sparkly fringe!



golden, rust orange, earth brown and autumn blue sky in a 60s cotton provincial print blouse...charming and cute folk art farm scenes...



vintage pocket watches, old compacts, and the details on a lady's dresser in an autumn tone vintage blouse


60s Mod op art party skirt......lovely cotton sateen with gold dots, with brown and gray....




here's the pear.......chilling and relaxing on the sofa......