How To Grow A Pear In A Bottle

How To Grow A Pear In A Bottle CROPS New Techniques 4-3-17 There's nothing quite like the taste of brandy flavored with real fruit. That's what gave a couple of Michigan orchardists the novel idea of putting a whole pear in a bottle which can be filled with brandy. But how do you get a full size pear into a bottle? There's really only one way, and that's to grow it in the bottle, which is exactly what Marlene and Richard Dopheide, of Westview Farm, Maltawan, Mich., do. The Dopheides experimented with about 35 of these last year and ended up with 50% success. "In the spring, when the young pear is still small, we slip it through the neck of a brandy bottle and leave it attached to the tree," Marlene Dopheide explains. "Then, we turn the bottle upside down and tape and wire the whole thing to another branch of the tree." The pear grows and ripens in the bottle and can be picked when ready. You can pour brandy over the pear in the bottle and it will become fruit flavored. When the bottle is empty, you can fill it again and the pear will continue to add flavor. The Dopheides have a few cautions for those who want to try this. First, pick a location on the north side of the tree so the pear will not get sun stalled. Second, you can expect to spend some time cleaning up the outside of the bottle after it is taken off the tree. Third, use plain, not flavored, brandy for best results. Others who've tried it report that as a conversation piece, cucumbers also are relatively easy to grow inside a pop, beer or whiskey bottle. Just slip the bottle over a bud early in the season, tape it into position and let nature take its course.

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