Picking pears

[Mykittensmittens]

We inherited a pear tree when we moved in 4 years ago. First 2 years no fruit (it had been hard pruned by the previous owners). Last year a handful, this year masses!! Easily over a hundred pears.

I am a pear novice!!

we are in the midlands and the advice online is that we should be looking to pick end of August. But we’ve had such a good spring and summer and it blossomed early. The branches are being pulled down with the weight.

They feel rock hard and when I twist they are not coming away. I presume leave longer? The issue I have is we are away from 17th to 25th. If I leave them over than time will I be risking it? Or am I meant to ripen them off the tree?

would help if I knew the variety (I don’t). 50/50 could be Bon Chretin (sp?) as we found a worn label, but there were two different pears and the other is clearly a different type with hardly any fruit on, a few feet away. The label wasn’t attached to either it was in the middle. If anyone knows what variety I’d be grateful too!

There seems to be an abundance of top fruit this year! The 'bon Chretien' is a Williams pear. The fruit is ready when you gently lift and twist the fruit it comes away easily. It will still be hard - they need to be ripened off the tree. I would check every few days and not all fruit will be ripe at the same time.

My husband has just picked and eaten a common pear from a tree in our garden. He said it needed another week.

Our conference pears are nowhere near ready.

Thanks.

doesn’t help I don’t know what variety it is, and the IDing apps just say ‘pear’!

i don’t think this one is the Bon Chretien as the fruits aren’t round or yellow enough? They are more elongated. and most have a lovely russet on the sunny side of the fruit.

i’ve put one on the kitchen window sill to see if it ripens this week.

I don’t want to come back from holidays and it’s too late but I am hoping not!!

This thread is great, I just inherited several pear trees, I have been wondering when they would be ripe enough to eat.

And what do you do with a bumper crop if you cant eat them all.

Cook/bake with them.
Peal, then half, poach and freeze. Use to make pie/crumble/cake later on
Peal, then half and pickle them
Give them away
Keep them in the fridge
Pack them in a box with newspaper and store in your garage/shed

thanks!!

i have debated buying a press - then sterilising bottles and making juice and storing. I have NO IDEA if this would work. I can also swap half pears for half apples with a neighbour. My apple trees are clearly useless!

I mean, unless I could make cider. Suspect these are ideas above my capability !

The juice will go off, unfortunately. You could pasteurise it, but that is a faff. Or freeze the juice? I sometimes juice apples, and freeze that in old, washed milk bottles. The ones with a squared base as these have less wasted room. If you do that, remember not notnfill that near the top, as liquids expand when frozen.

I think I'm going to pick my pears today too. They're so tricky to know when is the right time, and as you leave them a week (ish) to finish ripening, it's easy to end up with a kitchen of pears that are all ready at once!