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Question about Pear Tree's
July 15, 2010
5:35 pm
gendale
Big Chicken
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July 15, 2010
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I got lucky this year and actually have 5 pears! How do I know when they are ready to be picked and eaten?  Since I only have 5, I don't want to waste any testing them.  

 

Thanks!

July 19, 2010
4:55 pm
JeannieB
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September 2, 2008
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I really don't know the answer, what kind of pears do you have?  I think the old fashioned cooking pears are about ready in SC.  They look green and and are very firm (okay hard) but when you taste them they are ready and sweet.

Don't cry because it's over—smile because it happened!
July 20, 2010
8:39 am
monica
Mighty Chicken
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February 3, 2009
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They should continue to mature until mid august to september.  My Dad says that they are ready when they smell like a pear.  You will be in for a treat because they are the best and well worth the wait!fork

My budget plan is NOT getting a cart when I go to the store.
July 20, 2010
3:31 pm
BuckeyeGirl
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February 10, 2009
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Growing up we had 3 pear trees… I take that back, 4.  There was one along the driveway, probably planted by birds because it was in an odd spot!  But yeah, the advice about being ready when they smell like pears sounds good to me! I remember that when they were really ripe, they were easy to pick, though they never really just dropped off in your hand.  I think the smell is true, and even when choosing fruit in the grocery store I won't buy anything that doesn't smell like it should. 

Ours were so crazy prolific that we never had to worry about it and just knawed at will!   … I wonder what happened to them?  Having been away more than 20 + years, I never knew, they're just gone now and dad doesn't remember now either.  (91 yo will do that!)  I'd love to have some again.  My Grandma used to call them Sugar Pears, because they were so sweet, but boy were they ugly!  Not the trees, the fruit.  Smallish and far from perfect, but very tasty!.

Located in N.E. Ohio
July 24, 2010
8:46 am
gendale
Big Chicken
Forum Posts: 18
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July 15, 2010
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I have no idea what kind of pear it is. I know that 4 years ago, I picked it because it was a dwarf tree and did not need a mate to produce fruit.  Got nothing the first 2 years and even infact thought it was dead but the last two I had flowers. I was going to take it out this year since I really wanted a fruit tree and didn't want to waste space on a flowering tree.  We actually had bee's this year and viola! 

The are green with brownish roughness on it.  I am so impatient…no smell yet.

 

Thanks for the help!

September 2, 2010
11:36 am
RockWhisperer
Big Chicken
Forum Posts: 31
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August 30, 2010
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I have some little old lady friends who pick the pears from their tree when they are good-sized, still somewhat green, and free from blemish, wrap them carefully in newspaper, and pack them in a box.  I don't know how they tell when they're ripe from there, and seems labor intensive to me but that's the way they do everything.

When I had a pear tree, I'd just pick them when the skins turned yellow with a little pink blush.  But different varieties could vary, and I don't know what kind of pear tree it was as it was there when we moved there.  HTH!  Ilene

September 2, 2010
2:09 pm
BuckeyeGirl
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February 10, 2009
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When we had pear trees, they never really got very soft on the tree, but when they started to fall, we'd start 'testing' them (picking and trying to eat 'em!)  They were usually quite heavy with fruit so it wasn't a big deal.

I've heard of doing that with the newspapers for storage before.  I suppose if they're kept away from each other they won't get bruised and stay more perfect?  Also… maybe some varieties are more delicate?  I suppose this would be a way to protect the fruit too, most bugs and birds want to munch on them about the same time we do I suppose, when they're getting sweet and ripe!  If they are picking them before they get very ripe, it'd keep them safe from pear predators…  I really don't know for sure though!

Located in N.E. Ohio
September 6, 2010
11:17 am
RockWhisperer
Big Chicken
Forum Posts: 31
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August 30, 2010
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These little old ladies do everything precisely and S-L-O-W-L-Y.  I'm a "fling it in the pan" person and so it drives me a little nuts!  But I love them so I put up with it. 

They keep the box(s) on their back porch, where it's not air-conditioned but there's shade back there and it gets a good breeze.  I've heard of some people, who have pears that don't ripen till late fall, that do the same kind of packing thing but put the box in the attic and they say they can eat on them all the way up to Christmas. 

I guess a lot depends on the weather where you are.  This is Oklahoma, and it's 126 degrees in my attic today.  I don't think that'd be very good for pears.  But I've been putting my dehydrating trays up there and so far I've dehydrated chopped onion, hot peppers and squash!  –Ilene

September 6, 2010
11:52 am
Miss Judy
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February 22, 2010
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Now there's an idea! Ilene, you are so smart. I never would have thought of that. I was trying to rig up an outdoor dehydrator. The attic would be much better!

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