Fridtjof

Pears can have men's names too – and Fridtjof is one of them.

On our farm, he has primarily been given one very important job: Fridtjof is our most important pollinator for Celina, making him one of the reasons our favourite pear can produce good crops year after year.

But it is almost a little unfair to describe Fridtjof merely as a pollinator.

Because, as a pear in his own right, he is actually pretty darn good.

The fruit is medium to large, attractive and classically pear-shaped. As it ripens, a subtle pink blush can develop on the sunny side – just a small patch of colour revealing where the fruit has caught the most sunshine. The flavour is very good, and the pears also have excellent storage qualities, keeping well for several months under the right conditions.

The trees can produce very good crops in favourable years, although pollination, apparently, is a two-way street. While Fridtjof helps Celina, he also needs pollen from another compatible variety to set a good crop himself – Herrepære, for example, can help with that job in our orchard.

Fridtjof was developed in Norway, just like Celina, although we doubt anyone originally imagined his future career would be mainly as “the guy who pollinates Celina”.

Perhaps it is time to give him a little more credit for what he actually is:

A genuinely good pear.

- Deserves to be grown for more than just pollination
- An important pollinator for Celina
- Medium to large, attractive fruit
- Good, classic pear flavour
- A subtle pink blush develops on the sunny side when ripe
- Excellent storage qualities – can keep for several months