Poire de Livre pear trees

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• Picking season: Very late
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 6

Poire de Livre is an ancient culinary pear from northern France. It is thought to have been in use since the early 17th century, and is so-named because of of its large fruits, which can weigh as much as one "livre" (pound in English).

The pears are picked in mid-October and have a dense hard flesh which is not palatable for eating fresh. They are normally peeled and then slowly poached or stewed. The pears can also be kept for several months in a fridge.

Poire de Livre is a good choice if you are looking for pears that can be used for traditional cookery.

Poire de Livre organic pear trees for sale

Next deliveries: December 2026

• 11 yeartree on PyroDwarf rootstock29.25€
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years) Bare-root
  

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• 21 yeartree on Kirchensaller rootstock28.00€
  Very large tree (5m-6m+ after 10 years) Bare-root
  

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If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.

Growing and Training

Poire de Livre flowers quite late in the pear blossom season, and it is likely the blossom is not compatible with other pears. The tree is reliable, generally free of disease, and bears regularly.

Poire de Livre characteristics

• What level of gardening skill is needed to grow Poire de Livre?Average
• Is Poire de Livre self-fertile?Not self-fertile
• What flowering group is Poire de Livre?6
• What is the overall disease resistance of Poire de Livre?Good
• Picking periodmid-October
• What season do you pick Poire de Livre?Very late
• How long can you keep Poire de Livre in a fridge?3 months or more
• Food usesCulinaryTraditional cooker
• Where does Poire de Livre originate from?France
• When was Poire de Livre first introduced?1600 - 1649
• Flesh colourWhite
• Fruit colourGreen - lightRussetYellow / Orange

You might also like these varieties

• 
  Hendre Huffcap
  A well-known English perry pear variety, and a reliable cropper. It makes a light, low-tannin perry.
• 
  Louise Bonne
  Louise Bonne is a pretty red-flushed French pear variety with sweet melting flesh.
• 
  Saint Mathieu
  Saint Mathieu is a traditional Franco-Belgian cooking pear.
• 
  Winnals Longdon
  A traditional English perry pear variety, produces a low tannin perry.

More about pear trees

While you can gently cook dessert pears, their sweet soft flesh can become simply bland in the kitchen. If you want to really cook with pears you need to use dedicated culinary varieties. These typically have very hard dense flesh, with strong but not particularly palatable flavours when eaten raw. The application of heat - typically by baking, poaching, or stewing - transforms and brings out their flavours.