Nashi

It’s an all too common problem for many growers – what do you do with the glut of produce that can’t be exported or sold to the supermarkets?
10 years ago a group of Nashi growers in the Waikato decided to band together and juice their small fruit which would otherwise be destined for compost.  They took their fruit to Greenways in Te Kauwhata who juiced and bottled the Nashis into 2 litre and 500ml bottles.  They soon discovered they had a very unique product on their hands which was a hit with market goers.

The juice is still very much a sideline for the group who are well aware of the huge amount of time and resources needed to launch their Nashi juice to the mass market. So for the time being you can discover the wonderful taste of Nashi juice at various markets in and around the Waikato & Bay of Plenty plus a few selected stores. You can also buy fresh Nashis from Ian at the Tamahere market when they are in season from early autumn.

Nashis, also known as Asian Pears, are not as many people will tell you a cross between apples and pears.  The Nashi belongs to the pear family and gets the reference to apples because of their shape and their crunchiness.   Nashis have a high water content and are a great source of fibre and vitamin C.

More about Nashi…

Nourish visited Ian and Mary Wallace’s orchard in Matangi to see firsthand the Nashis growing and what a great operation it is!  The trees are kept well pruned so the fruit can almost all be picked by hand, with little more than a box to stand on.  The trees in their neat rows are all protected by shade cloth which keep the birds from destroying the crop.  When we visited it was the end of spring and you could see all the blossoms beginning to set.  Ian explained that they need to go through the entire orchard and by hand thin these out.  This process ensures that each tree will produce good sized fruit as opposed to lots of small fruit.  Although the orchard isn’t completely organic Ian is careful about what he sprays and tries to keep this to a minimum.  Regular tests are done to measure the chemical residues and they almost always come up with a nil result.