Kieffer

Kieffer is a hardy, disease-tolerant pear that arose in Pennsylvania in the 1860s as a hybrid between the European pear and the Asian sand pear, Pyrus pyrifolia. This hybrid parentage gives it exceptional vigor, wide climate adaptability, and strong resistance to fire blight, allowing it to thrive in the southern and central United States where finer European pears struggle. The medium to large fruits are yellow with a red blush and firm, coarse, gritty flesh with a musky flavor. Kieffer is not a top dessert pear but excels for canning, cooking, preserves, and baking, and it stores well. It is partially self-fertile and very productive, often bearing heavy crops. Its toughness and reliability have long made it a homestead and orchard workhorse.