Not many people know the raven pear, even among those who frequent the mountain woods.

Often we go to the other side of the planet in search of exotic fruit or wait for some nurseryman to create new exuberant crosses between species or varieties of fruit when in reality many of the unknown fruits are just forgotten. Why was the raven pear forgotten?

It is a shrub typical of the high mountains, which needs calcareous soils and does not tolerate drought and dehydration. It is a rosacea and produces small apples similar to loquats but small like blueberries, which ripen from green to very dark purple.

Despite the sweet taste, which in fact resembles that of wild pear, the raven pear has fallen into disuse due to a not exactly optimal proportion of pulp-skin-seeds : in a single fruit there is not much to eat. Add to this the fact that the fruits are small and that they are normally above 2000 meters.

On the other hand, it is worth remembering that other fruits have similar characteristics, we can mention myrtle or dog rose, and they are all very interesting fruits for the production of jams, liqueurs and other preparations .

The raven pear and the virtues of small fruits

It is necessary to underline that historically almost all known fruits had similar dimensions and proportions, and that it was the human being that selected plants with larger fruits. And one of the ways to get bigger fruits was, and still is, to supply a lot of water through irrigation and watering the plants.

However, a lot of water means no more nourishment, it only means dilution. In fact, this type of small fruit with little pulp is a true concentration of nutritive principles, and the products derived from it are extremely nutritious.

Properties and characteristics of the raven pear

The raven pear is the fruit produced by some plants of the genus Amelanchier, three species above all: the ovalis, the lamarckii, the alnifolia and the canadensis .

Generally the plant is used for ornamental purposes in parks and gardens, due to the beautiful coloring taken on by the leaves in autumn.

The small but remarkable white flowers make it a first-rate ornamental plant. The fruit is sweet, delicious, its juice is a delight and is widely consumed in North America.

The Corvino pear jam is a rarity that leaves you in awe and around we can also find liquors, such as the raven pear grappa.

The properties of the fruits are remarkable: as suggested by the color of the ripe fruit, the fruit is very rich in flavonoids and has one of the highest percentages of antioxidants among all fruit and vegetables, certainly more than strawberries, raspberries and other fruits of forest.

Contains more protein, calcium, potassium, iron, magnese and blueberry vitamin E. They are also particularly rich in high quality dietary fiber .

As regards the officinal herbal side, on the other hand, infusions can be obtained from the leaves, which come directly from the ancient popular tradition, with marked febrifugal, anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties .