There are pears and there are pears. By that I mean some are more desirable than others. There are winter pears, Kieffer is the one that comes to mind. They are small and hard as a rock. They are called winter pears for a reason. You must wait until after New Years to eat them.. only then will they be softened, but they are still small. By the time you peel them, there is not much left. I never could understand why anyone would want to grow winter pears. I guess there was a time in the dead of winter, when fresh fruit would be a luxury.

OK, when I was growing up, it was unheard of in our neighborhood to have fresh strawberries out of season. I was lucky to get an orange for Christmas. Can you imagine an orange being a luxury? It was. I remember the orange I got in the Christmas gifts we received from the Salvation Army one year. Dad didn't like it, but my brothers and I certainly did. I remember holding that orange, smelling its aroma and not wanting to eat it because when it was gone, what would I cherish? But I digress. Pears are the fruit of the day.

I like nice, fat, sweet-smelling, juicy pears. They ripen around here in mid-August. I have canned them with or without other flavorings. I have made pear butter. That is good, too. There are many ways to make Apple Pie. Not so with pears. The only way I knew to make pear pie was to slice them and continue like making an apple pie. Then I found a new recipe that is so much better. It certainly is different. I hope you like it.

SOUR CREAM PEAR PIE
3 cups peeled, diced pears
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
Dash salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Unbaked pie shell

Combine beaten egg, sugar, flour, sour cream, vanilla and salt in small bowl. Stir until well blended. Place diced pears in large bowl. Add egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour into pie shell. The filling will look skimpy, but it will rise to fill the crust. Bake at 350 F. for 30 minutes. Sprinkle on crumb topping. Return to oven for another 30 minutes.
CRUMB TOPPING
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

Combine ingredients until well mixed. Sprinkle on top of pie and return to oven to finish baking.