It's still the middle of summer, but it's time already for the annual Delta Pear Fair. I never think of pears being ripe now, but every year at the State Fair, there are pears galore to sample. So this is just the beginning of the pear season and there are tons of ways to use them in recipes.

If you drive along the levee road down through the Delta, you'll see lots of pear trees on the east side. The Delta town of Courtland has become known for its annual fair, now in its 35th year. The fair is famous for its pear pie and pear fritters, and while you're there you can sample some of the great wines coming out of little wineries in the area. No need to drive all the way to Napa and pay silly tasting room prices!

According to the California Pear Advisory Board, based here in Sacramento, there are plenty of red Bartlett and Bosc pears on the market already and green Bartletts reaching their peak now. California produces 60 percent of the nation's supply of Bartletts, a variety that came to the west with settlers in the 1800s. And, did you know it's a member of the rose family?

So now that you know lots of pear facts to liven up your party conversations, hightail it down to the fair this Sunday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. And if you stock up on pears there or at your local farmer's market, we've got a bushel of pear recipes on Sacatomato (since we started blogging during last year's pear harvest!).

Click on the Recipe tag on the left or just go straight to the posts here:
Pear-Cardamom Pie
Mache, Pear, and Avocado Salad
Pear-Cheese Tartlets with Honey and Hazelnuts
Chicken-Pear Calzones

Delta Pear Fair
Sun., July 29, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Courtland, off Highway 160, 20 miles south of Sacramento
Free admission; $10 parking
916-775-2000