Summer Produce

California Bartlett pears are at their peak, and this year’s crop is a big one. More than 250 million fruits will be harvested by the time the season ends in November.

This means we’ll be seeing lots of poached pears, pear tart, pear sorbet, pear salad, pear muffins and pear marmalade for the next three months.

California is the nation’s major source of Bartlett pears, providing 66% of the total crop. The orchards are clustered in the Sacramento River, Mendocino and Lake districts in Northern California.

When shopping, look for slightly firm fruit that is green or just turning yellow. Ripen firm pears by placing them in a paper bag, closing it loosely and letting the fruit stand at room temperature until it yields to pressure and the peel is yellow. Then store the pears in the refrigerator crisper.

Bananas have been inexpensive this summer, but produce people say the price is probably about to go up. The problem is not crop damage, disease or shipping delays, but rather hungry children on their way back to school. School food services order a great deal of this popular fruit, which causes the price to rise.

Kids also like to munch on apples, and there will be plenty of the crunchy fruit around because a new crop of Washington state Delicious apples is expected early next month.

Summer may be winding down, but there’s still time to try Olathe Sweet corn. The name comes from the small town on the western slopes of the Colorado Rockies where the seed was developed and the corn is grown. This premium yellow variety is as sweet as the name indicates, juicy, and so tender the ears must be picked by hand.

The first Olathe Sweet corn came to market in 1987. Production is still small--just 800 acres--and the variety apparently can’t be grown elsewhere in the United States. It does, however, grow in Chile, which has the same moderate summer climate as Olathe.

The corn is picked, packed, cooled and shipped to Los Angeles so rapidly that only 18 hours elapse before it arrives in markets. To retain the fresh, sweet flavor, cook it in boiling water no longer than 1 1/2 minutes. Olathe Sweet corn will be available at Vons, Pavilions, Ralphs, Food 4 Less, Boys, Alpha Beta, Lucky and Hughes until the middle of September.