Ripen Pears

Beloved since the time of Ancient Rome, pears are a delicious fruit––but if you've eaten one that is not quite ripe, you might not hold that opinion! Pears deserve to be eaten ripe, to obtain the full benefit of their juiciness and delicious pear flavor. So if you've got a bowl of unripe ones, listen up and see Step 1 below for more information on how to ensure maximum edibility of this awesome fruit.

Steps

Why you usually get your pears unripe from the store

  1. Note that pears are usually picked unripe. The rationale behind this is that they do not ripen well when left on the tree and are better stored in a cool place to ripen.[1][2] In fact, the ripening stage is fairly narrow and a pear can ripen and spoil all within a matter of a few hours![1]
    • If you purchase pears that have been picked when mature (or picked them yourself), they need to be eaten straight away.

Ripening pears

  1. Hasten the ripening of pears in one of the following ways:
    • Remove from the refrigerator and leave the pears at room temperature (between 65ºF/18.3ºC and 75ºF/23.8ºC).[2] They'll ripen quickly away from cool storage, in about 1-7 days. Note that the longer a pear has spent in cool storage, the faster it will ripen when placed at room temperature.[2]
    • Place in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana or apple, to take advantage of the ethylene given off by these fruits (it's a fruit ripening chemical).[2] Be very careful though, as the pear may peak and deteriorate before you check back (in which case, go see below for uses of overripe pears). Alternatively, simply situate the pears near a bunch of bananas. Be ready to eat the pears quickly.
  2. Know your pear. If you know the type of pear you have, your ripening process at room temperature can be really specific, as follows:[2]
    • Bartlett pears: 4 to 5 days
    • Bosc and Comice pears: 5 to 7 days
    • Anjou pears: 7 to 10 days.

Knowing when a pear is ripe

  1. Check the stem flesh. As already noted, a pear passes through its perfect stage of ripeness fairly quickly, once reached. A pear is ripe and ready to eat when you can feel a softening of the flesh at the end of the stem and the skin gives slightly to your touch.[3][2]

Slowing down ripening

  1. Keep the pears in the refrigerator. This will delay ripening.

Dealing with overripe or spoiled pears

  1. Cook with overripe pears. Simply peel them and chop them up to add them to a pie, cake or other baked good able to hold fruit. The sweetness of the pears means you can add less sugar to the recipe too.
    • Here are some recipes to try: Make Chocolate Pear Cake, Make Vegan Pear Cake and Make Pear Pie.
  2. Stew overripe pears. Overripe pears are best stewed, as they may fall apart and not keep the lovely pear shape required for poaching. However, they will still taste great and with the addition of some berry fruits or apples, this makes for a delicious dessert. Finish by topping with yogurt or cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper bag (optional)
  • Temperature reading instrument to know the temperature of your room/storage area

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 John Newton, Food: The Essential A-Z Guide, p. 290, (2001), ISBN 1-74045-031-0
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/413
  3. ↑ Edible: The Illustrated Guide to the World's Plants, p. 89, (2008), ISBN 978-1740481-05-2
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