[NAFEX] How to tell when pears are ripe?

Erdman, James ErdmanJ at uwstout.edu
Thu Sep 27 09:28:58 EDT 2007


As it happens, our bearing pear is a Nova, and we are also (supposedly) in zone 4.  I have been using the guidelines posted by someone a couple of years ago to this list--I think it may have been Ed Fackler.  If I remember right, he suggested picking when the pear started to slightly soften at the end near the stem--this is something you need to experience by feeling a few pears every day, and noticing the slight difference when your thumb starts to feel a little "give" to the flesh of the pear.  The skin starts to have a slight yellow to the background color of green, and the little spots or dots start to lighten up.  Then, leave them at room temp after picking and they will finish ripening in a few days.  Or you can refrigerate them and take them out when you want to ripen them.  We picked our Nova pears about a month ago, and are eating the last few that we had put in the refrigerator soon after picking.  I think that I could have stored some longer if I had picked them a bit sooner and immediately refrigerated them.  We have been eating fruit from our Novas for about 5 years, I think, and really like them.  Better than any pear I have ever gotten at the store (but isn't that why we grow our own fruit?)
 
Jim, in Menomonie, WI, an hour east of St Paul, Minn

________________________________

From: nafex-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org on behalf of eric
Sent: Mon 9/24/2007 6:44 PM
To: nafex at lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] How to tell when pears are ripe?


Does anyone have so good hints as to when to pick pears? We have had trouble correctly timing when to pick, resulting in picking to young. The pear we have ripening now is Nova.
 
Thanks, Eric White
Zone 4 Vermont
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