Pears are in at Ha's

Ha's Apple Farm has much more than apples. Late summer and early fall is also the time for growing pears in Tehachapi. The history of pear growing in our area is well documented at the Tehachapi Museum. David Ha said that when he came to Tehachapi, there was a line of packing houses down Tehachapi Blvd. The building to the right of The Shed was owned by grower Grant Sullivan who sent his pears to San Francisco. The Shed was the packing house for the Nunes family and the Pattersons owned what is now Kohnen's Bakery.

"The Tehachapi Bartlett pear used to be the best in California," said Ha.

With all this activity, David Ha sent his pears to farmers' markets and vendors in Los Angeles County. He says that "Mr. Patterson was a very nice man and was very helpful" when he started his orchards. Today Ha has five varieties of pears grown in orchards all around Tehachapi and are now available to local residents at his newly opened ranch store at 20916 Steuber Road.

Bartlett pears are one of the more popular varieties. They are yellow and sweet when ripe and probably best known for use in pies and for canning.

Comice pears are yellow/green with a possible red blush and are very sweet with a buttery taste. They can be very large and are said to be great with cheese.

Bosc pears are sort of cinnamon-brown in color with a russeting on the skin. They have a sweet dense flesh so that it is often difficult to tell if they are ripe.

D'Anjou pears are green with perhaps a touch of red blush. They have a sweet lemon-lime flavor that makes them really good for cooking.

Highland pears are yellow, but may have a slight touch of russet color. They seem to ripen best off the tree. They are said to be moderately disease resistant.

Fire blight is the enemy of all pears. It is a contagious bacterial disease.

"It kills blossoms, fruit, limbs and tree trunks," said Ha. "It's hard to keep them (pears) going, "he adds, "You have to check them every day."

If there is any sign of fire blight, the tree must be cut. Ha said that in Japan and Korea, if fire blight is found, they burn the whole orchard.

Both David and his wife Kyung work in their orchards along side their workers – they work and supervise. The result of their efforts are the most delicious pears in Tehachapi. Their store is open Friday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. During the week call (661) 303-8949 or (661) 330-1980 to make sure they are there. Be sure to stop by and sample their pears, apples, peaches and grapes as well as their many preserves and dried fruit.