Johnson Family Ranch
Growing Pears for 100+ Years
by Torrey Douglass
Pears are known as “the thinking man’s fruit.” Similar to avocados, they are picked and purchased before they are ripe, then checked regularly until just soft to the touch. They last a long time in cold storage, so even though they are picked in late summer, pears are a popular gift throughout the holidays. The flavor is gently sweet with a floral touch. There’s nothing like biting into a ripe, juicy pear while the world outside is dark and cold—a splash of summer on your tastebuds as other growing things slumber.
Johnson Family Ranch has been growing pears for over a century. Pete Johnson is a fifth generation farmer, tending the land his great-great-grandparents settled in the 1880s. He and his wife, Adriana, are currently raising two children in the same Ukiah house where his grandparents raised theirs. “Having this family farm, I always thought of myself as farming,” Pete says. “I started doing it when I was a young kid.” He started in the field, pulling bad fruit out of the bins, or “sorting.” He drove the tractor and forklift, worked in the packing house, and trucked fruit to ice houses for storage. “I cycled through every job on the ranch,” Pete remembers. “You start with the little ones and move up to the big ones. I’ve had every job at some point.”
Pete attended CalPoly in San Luis Obispo to study agriculture and pomology (the science of growing pome fruit like pears, apples, and quince), then went right to work on the family farm. “I graduated on Saturday and started farming on Monday,” he shares. Back then his parents were still at the helm, with Pete’s dad in charge of operations and his mom—besides teaching fourth graders at Yokayo Elementary—managing fulfillment. Uncle Frank helped out too, keeping the machinery fixed and functioning.
These days Pete runs the family business—a vineyard on the east side of Ukiah and orchards in Redwood Valley. His brother lives across the street with his wife and two kids, and lends a hand wherever it’s needed. In the past the family grew hops, alfalfa, garlic, wheat, prunes, and beef cattle. They even ran a dairy until pasteurization became mandatory.
Pear trees can live for over 100 years, and the ranch has been selling them for longer than that. They grow mostly Bartletts, but other varieties as well, like d’Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Stark- crimson, and Hailey’s Red. That last variety was developed by Larry Thornton of Thornton Pear Ranch in Potter Valley. A “sport” or offshoot of the Bartlett pear, it is exceptionally juicy with a similar flavor to Bartletts, but stands out due to its striking red wine coloring. It’s now grown all over Northern California.
“They are very versatile—you can do so much with them,” says Pete. “Poached, baked, dried, or just fresh with a little cottage cheese or blue cheese, and a nice white wine.” They are also used to make brandy, wine, or cider, which Pete refers to as “Pear-ier.” Ambix Spirits in Sebastopol makes a pear brandy called Poire which they describe as their “love letter to the fresh flavors and complexity of the pear.”
One reason Johnson Family Ranch has endured for over a century is its willingness to adjust with the changing times, like letting go of the dairy when it no longer made sense. The pear market has shifted drastically in recent years, keeping growers like Pete and the team on their toes. After selling canned fruit for 140 years, Del Monte Foods filed for bankruptcy in July 2025, closing their Modesto cannery in the process. They had been the primary buyer for Johnson Family Ranch pears for decades. Pete remembers that when he was a kid, there were 150 canneries in California. Now there’s one, Pacific Coast Producers in Yuba City.
Johnson Family Ranch pears are sold to that last cannery, as well as Scully Packing Company in Lake County, which ships them all over North America. Pete points out that a good way to bolster local food is to grow a lot and then preserve it. Since cans are recyclable, don’t require refrig- eration, and keep food for a long period, they remain an important part of a vital local food system.
The grapes grown on Johnson Family Ranch make vineyard designate wines for Onward Wines of Sonoma County. Ukiah Brewing Company carries a few for wine lovers looking for a local option. In addition to their main commercial crops of pears and grapes, the ranch has also partnered with the Mendocino Grain Project to grow various grains. The family keeps a garden for fresh vegetables and enjoys walnuts from their trees every fall.
Pete and Steve have four kids between them, and Pete is hoping the ranch will be managed by them someday. “We’d like to carry on the tradition in one form or another,” he says. He understands that it will likely look different for the next generation, just as it’s been different for him and his brother compared to the era before. But as long as the family continues to strike a balance between adjusting with the times and building on what’s come before, Johnson Family Ranch will keep growing good things.
Grilled Salmon and Bartlett Pear Salad with Hazelnuts
INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper • 4 fresh salmon fillets
• 2 ripe California Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced
• 6 cups salad mixed salad greens • 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium bowl, which together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Gently rinse the salmon fillets and pat dry. Drizzle each fillet with 1/2 tsp of the vinaigrette mixture. Place on a lightly oiled grill over medium coals for 8 to 12 minutes or just until salmon begins to flake easily when tested with a fork. Turn once halfway through grilling time.
Meanwhile, toss the greens with half of the remaining vinaigrette and assemble on a large platter. Top greens with the pears, hazelnuts, and warm salmon fillets. Drizzle salad with remaining vinaigrette.
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Torrey Douglass is a web and graphic designer living in Boonville. Current life joys include garden puttering and escaping into a good book.
Photos courtesy of Johnson Family Ranch
