Growing the new Taylor’s Gold pear has been an emotional roller coaster for Geoff Thornton, and the ride’s not over yet. “It’s the variety from hell,” says Thornton, who has 300 acres of orchard in Tonasket, Washington, including 20 acres of –Taylor’s Gold. Thornton first heard about Taylor’s Gold in 1989 when his father, Dell, visited New Zealand and returned with glowing reports. A russeted sport of the old French variety Comice, it was discovered in an orchard near Nelson in New Zealand. Thornton contacted a nursery in Washington State and said when they had Taylor’s Gold to sell, he […]