When fall descends with its brilliant colors and plentiful produce, we think of sweaters and bonfires, fall leaves and s’mores, apples and pumpkins.

Pears may be a forgotten fall fruit, despite being in the U.S. for hundreds of years.

Harry & David, based in Medford, Ore., started sharing their Royal Riviera pears nearly a century ago. This season, pears grace the cover of their latest catalog.

Pears are grown and eaten around the world, and there may be as many as 3,000 different types in existence. Some are rare, only locally grown, while others are just minor variations.

First, a little history about this forgotten fall fruit — great things to know for your next trivia night. Here are the four most popular varieties in the U.S.:

Barlett. Also known as Williams pears, Bartlett pears are the most eaten pear in the U.S. They originated in England around 1770. The variety was bought by a nurseryman named Williams, who gave them his name. The trees came to America in 1799.

Anjou. The blush red Anjou may be one of the more familiar varieties. Anjous are short and squatty pears that originated in Belgium but are named after the Anjou region of France. They came to America around 1840 and are the second most eaten pear in the U.S.

Bosc. Named after the director of France’s Paris botanical garden over 200 years ago, Bosc pears were first planted in the U.S. around 1833. These are firm, dense pears that hold up well when cooked, so they’re perfect for baking or poaching.

Related:Take them a meal? Try these recipes

Asian. The Asian pear is a particularly sweet variety, shaped more like an apple than a pear. They were brought to America by Chinese immigrants in the mid-19th century. Asian pears are a great source of dietary fiber, potassium and vitamin C, and are, like other pears, quite healthy.

My neighbor recently gave me a basket of yellow Anjou pears off her tree. We’ve been enjoying them in several recipes.

Here are two of our favorites. The first is a great side dish for the holidays — colorful, flavorful and healthy. The recipe is adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com. The second is a Pear and Apple Crisp that my mom used to make. It’s adapted from Ina Garten’s TV program “Barefoot Contessa.”

Roasted Pear and Cranberry Brussels Sprouts

1½ pounds Brussels sprouts
2 pears, cored and cut into cubes
½ cup finely chopped yellow or red onion
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice from ½ lemon
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts, pears and onion, and toss to coat with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the mixture on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until the Brussels are golden brown and have started to crisp and the pears have caramelized, about 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.

Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the pan and drizzle with the honey. Add the dried cranberries and toss to combine well. Taste and season with more lemon and salt and pepper, if desired. Serves six.

Apple and Pear Crisp

2 pounds ripe pears (four pears)
2 pounds firm apples (six apples)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
½ pound (two sticks) cold, unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Core and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into a 9-by-12-by-2-inch oval baking dish.

For the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to one hour, until the top is brown the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.