Welcome to Tasty Tidbits, your go-to guide for making the most out of the fresh, local produce that you find at Alabama farmers markets, including pears! Brought to you by Live Well Alabama, each edition highlights a delicious fruit or vegetable, providing nutrition facts, simple storage and cooking tips, and new recipe ideas. Get ready to explore fresh flavors, boost your meals with nutritious ingredients, and enjoy the best of what Alabama’s farms have to offer.

Nutrition Nuggets

• Pears are low in fat and sodium.
• They are high in fiber for a healthy digestive system, potassium for a healthy heart, and antioxidants for a strong immune system.

How to Store

• Store pears away from produce like broccoli, carrots, peppers, leafy greens, and watermelon. Pears are ethylene producers.
• Store whole, firm pears at room temperature until ripe.
• Store whole, ripe pears in the refrigerator for up to 5 days to slow the ripening process.

How to Prepare

• Wash and dry.
• For halves: Cut in half lengthwise. Use a spoon or melon baller to remove the core.
• For slices and cubes: Cut the pear into halves and remove the core. Cut halves lengthwise into slices. Cut each slice into cubes if desired.

How to Enjoy

• Serve as a crunchy snack paired with cheese and honey.
• Add to salads, yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, soups, or fruit salsa.
• Enjoy roasted, grilled, poached, baked into crunchy chips, canned as preserves, or in breads and desserts.
• About 100 varieties of pears are grown worldwide. Bartlett, Bosc, and D’Anjou are the most popular.

Recipes

4 Quick and Easy Pear Snacks

• Pear slices + 2 tablespoons nut butter + whole grain toast. Spread nut butter on whole-grain toast. Add sliced pears and enjoy.
• Pear slices + 6 ounces of yogurt. Dip pear slices into yogurt and enjoy.
• Pear slices + 2 tablespoons nut butter. Dip pears into nut butter and enjoy.
• Pear slices + 1 ounce cheese of choice. Enjoy with whole-grain crackers.

Easy Baked Pears

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pears, halved with core removed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 2 tablespoons honey

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Sprinkle halves with cinnamon and add nuts. Drizzle with honey.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Simple Pear Spinach Salad

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard

Salad

• 5 to 6 cups baby spinach
• 2 pears, sliced (canned in 100% juice and drained can be used)
• 2 oranges, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 1/2 cup feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

2. On a large platter, add spinach and top with remaining salad ingredients.

3. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to coat before serving.

Learn More

For more Tasty Tidbits, visit www.LiveWellAlabama.com.

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