Bosc Pear

Pyrus communis 'Bosc'

fruit

Bosc is the cinnamon-skinned winter pear with an elongated neck and dense, sweet, spicy flesh that holds its shape under heat. The russet brown skin is natural to the variety and signals the rich honeyed flavor inside. Bosc is the classic baking and poaching pear, equally good fresh once ripened.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Chives — Sulfur compounds discourage aphids and pear psylla around the drip line
• Comfrey — Mineral-mining taproot; chop-and-drop leaves return potassium to surface roots
• Yarrow — Hosts hoverflies and parasitic wasps that hunt pear-orchard pests
• White Clover — Orchard-floor nitrogen fixer that adds organic matter and feeds bees

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Fire blight →

  Avoid heavy nitrogen, prune blighted shoots 12 in below cankers during dry weather, and disinfect tools with 10 percent bleach

• Pear psylla →

  Apply dormant horticultural oil before bud break and keep the canopy open for predatory insects

• Codling moth →

  Hang pheromone traps, bag fruit, and pick up drops every week

• Pear scab →

  Rake and remove fallen leaves in autumn and prune for airflow; sulfur sprays may be needed in wet years

🌾 Harvest & storage

Bosc is picked firm from late September into October when the russet skin deepens to warm cinnamon brown and the skin shifts from glossy to slightly dull. Refrigerate immediately, then bring to room temperature for 5 to 7 days when you are ready to eat. The flesh is firmer and denser than Anjou or Bartlett, which is why Bosc keeps its shape in baked or poached dishes.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Around 57 calories per 100 g with 3.1 g of fiber, 4 mg vitamin C, and 116 mg potassium. Much of a pear's fiber is the soluble pectin concentrated in and just under the skin, so eating Bosc unpeeled retains the most fiber.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Eat the flesh, not the seeds. Apple and pear seeds contain amygdalin, a cyanide-releasing compound. Swallowing a seed or two is harmless, but do not deliberately eat or crush the seeds or cores in quantity.