Pears - when are they ripe?

herbsherbsflowers · Aug 18, 2008

I have two pear trees that have lots of pears on them considering their size. They look like they are very close to being ready to pick. I tried today and a couple came off in my hand. When I cut them they were still hard and not very sweet. How can you tell when they are ripe. Last year the squirrels got them all. This year we have more. If anyone knows about pears, please let me know.

nccountrygirl · Aug 18, 2008

I have always put them in a brown paper bag and put them in a dark closet for about a week and that will ripen them. It's something to do with the CO2 they put off that help them ripen.

patandchickens · Aug 19, 2008

If you let them ripen on the tree they often get overripe and mushy-brown at the core before the rest ripens. Also of course the squirrels thing

Probably best to pick when basiclaly full-sized and just starting to ripen but not actually having achieved *ripe*, if that makes sense? Finish ripening on a table indoors. Or in a bag if you're in a hurry and have a large quantity, but you don't want them stacked (nor, really, touching, so that if one gets rotty it won't spread to the others as fast).

Totally jealous of people who can grow pears where they live,

Pat, just a wee bit too cold for 'em

The Mustard Seed Gardener · Aug 19, 2008

as with apples...we always check the pits. If the pits have darkened...they are ripe.

herbsherbsflowers · Aug 20, 2008

Thanks for the advice. i will try the paper bag thing.

RDRANCH · Sep 10, 2008

I was going to ask the same question and found somebody already did. We have lots of pears on three trees (first time in six years!!!) and the wind is blowing some off every now and then. It's good to know that we may get a chance to eat them instead of the dogs getting them. Now I have to race them to the trees to gewt them before they do.

bills · Sep 18, 2008

As pears ripen from the inside out, a little trick to try is to give the pear a gentle squeeze, just under the stem. If it feels soft, even though the outer is still hard, you should pick them. If you wait for the outer to soften up, it's to late.

I had several good feeds of Bartlett pears this year, and am currently waiting for my Bosch to harvest.

My quince are always the last, and they are actually better picked while still green. I let the quince ripen in the house, where they act as a natural air freshener.

vfem · Sep 18, 2008

You guys are making me miss my pear trees that were at my parents' house in CT. Mmmm... what a nice thing to grab and eat running out the door to goto school.

I would like to plant one here... but I know it would be a long time before I got a good fruit yield.

katz · Oct 3, 2008

I have the hard pears also, these pears are best wrapped in newspaper singley and I put mine in a box and slide it under my bed for weeks,checking to see if they are ready to eat. They will turn yellow and be very sweet.

VT Chicklit · Oct 3, 2008

Must be a good pear year all over! I have 2 trees that have had only a dozen pears or less in past years. This year I had about 100 lbs of pears from one of those trees! I have my refridgerator drawer full (whats left after canning) and take out 6 or so to ripen on the counter at a time.

Pears - when are they ripe?

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