🍐 Some things grow a whole lot more than fruit.
About 25 years ago, Stacy planted a couple of pear trees.
Back then, he was just a kid with a little piece of ground, a big dream, and no idea what those trees would eventually become.
He certainly had no idea that one day his own kids would be walking out to those trees and picking pears.
He couldn't have known that those little trees would become part of our family's story.
But they have.
Every year, when those pears finally start coming in, we get to watch our kids pick from trees their daddy planted when he was barely more than a kid himself.
And then I freeze some of them.
Because come Christmas, those pears come back out of the freezer and become one of our family's favorite traditions:
Pear gingerbread upside-down cake.
Warm gingerbread. Sweet, tender pears. That smell filling the whole kitchen.
It's one of those recipes that doesn't just taste like Christmas.
It is Christmas at our house.
And that's something Stacy couldn't have imagined when he pushed those little trees into the ground 25 years ago.
This year, we've got Maxine and Moonglow pears, grown right here on our farm with no spray.
They're sweet, juicy and absolutely delicious once they have a few days to ripen on the counter.
But here's the catch...
🍐 We only get these for about two weeks a year.
And this is the only harvest we're getting this year.
Last year, we didn't get a single pear.
Fruit trees have a funny way of reminding you that you don't always get to decide when the harvest comes. Sometimes you wait. Sometimes you get nothing.
And sometimes, you get a beautiful crop from a tree that has been growing quietly for 25 years.
So we're going to make the most of it.
And we'd love for you to take some home, too.
Come see us at the Franklin Farmers Market this Saturday, 8 AM–12 PM.
Get some for the kitchen now.
And maybe tuck a few away for later.
Because wouldn't it be something if 25 years from now, these pears are part of your family's Christmas story, too? ❤️🍐
📍 Franklin Farmers Market
🗓️ Saturday
⏰ 8 AM–12 PM
Come early. These won't be around long.


UPSIDE DOWN PEAR GINGERBREAD CAKE

Recipe information

• Total Time
  1 1/2 hr
• Yield
  Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
For topping
2 1/2 firm pears (peeled or unpeeled, frozen works too)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

For cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or GF sub)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup molasses (preferably mild)
1 cup boiling water
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream
Special Equipment
a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 12-inch deep nonstick skillet (handle wrapped with a double layer of foil if not ovenproof)

PreparationMake topping:Step 1Peel and core pears and cut each into 8 wedges.
Step 2Melt butter in skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Reduce heat to low, then sprinkle brown sugar over bottom of skillet and cook, undisturbed, 3 minutes (not all sugar will be melted). Arrange pears decoratively over sugar and cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Make cake:Step 3Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 4Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together molasses and boiling water in a small bowl. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes, then alternately mix in flour mixture and molasses in 3 batches at low speed until smooth.
Step 5Pour batter over topping in skillet, spreading evenly and being careful not to disturb pears, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
Step 6Cool cake in skillet on a rack 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of skillet, then invert a large plate with a lip over skillet and, using pot holders to hold skillet and plate tightly together, invert cake onto plate. Replace any pears that stick to skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature.