To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Asian pear ripeness
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 21:22:17 -0500
For all the pears we pick, I look for green fruit on the ground as the first
sign that it's time to pick. Then I try tilting the fruit to see if the
stem pops loose. If they do that, we pick the lot. These are southern
style pears that are going to be gritty and inedible if not picked at the
right time. Even the Kieffers are pretty decent eating in a few weeks if
picked like this, and the slightly smaller kind called 'Pineapple' is
terrific, it'll drip down to your elbow when ripened off the tree. I use
the name with some hesitation as all I read says that 'Pineapple' only
requires about 150 hours chilling, and it doesn't seem they would ever
manage a crop here. But that's the name I've been given, and they seem
smaller and about 2 weeks earlier than the Kieffers. Donna
P.S. For all you who are lucky enough to have pears this year, when the
green fruit first start falling, pick them up and cut them in half
lengthwise, remove cores and lay them face down on a cookie sheet. Bake at
300 degrees for 2 hours. They are wonderful! They don't turn out nearly as
well once they start to ripen.