This heirloom Bartlett type dates from the 1890s. The fruit is medium to large. The flesh is creamy-white with a smooth, buttery texture -complex and juicy - similar in flavor to Bartlett, but larger. The tree owner says,"This pear tastes better than any Bartlett I ever ate." Best eaten out of hand, but very good for drying, canning, juice or perry. Harvests in September or October, about 6 weeks later than Bartlett, and holds its sweet flavor.

The cared for grandmother tree is a healthy 100+ year specimen growing at 2800’ in a mixed orchard in Camptonville, Yuba County, a vibrant mining town of the mid 1800s, still populated with many Gillet trees. Camptonville was the home of Lester Pelton, who in 1870 invented the Pelton wheel. Lester changed the course of human evolution by inventing the device for making hydroelectric power. Camptonville is a fascinating old mining camp, with many Gillet trees. We will be introducing more from this area in coming years.