HOME GROWN
Pears are a relatively easy fruit to grow in Western Washington, with fire blight and stony pie being the most troublesome issues. By choosing cultivars with the best resistance to the blight, you can minimize your orchard’s chance of being affected. Make sure to pick up any fallen fruit and dispose of it in Seattle’s yard waste bins (or home compost bins if you live outside of Seattle). By following commercial pear ripening procedures, you’ll get sweet, juicy pears with great texture.
HOW TO PICK A PEAR
Most pear varieties don’t ripen well on the tree; their ripening process begins near the core, and by the time the bites next to the skin are soft, the innermost sections are complete mush. Even if you harvest the pears at the correct time, you can still end up with mealy textures if you don’t chill them after picking.
First, pick the pears when they’re mature, but not at all soft. Typically, this means you can lift a pear in your hand and tilt it, and the stem will snap easily off the branch. It’s called the “tilt test.” The fruit is still firm, and frequently rather green, with minimal visible blush (color is dependent on variety).
The next step to a good pear is a lengthy and serious chill of around 30 degrees. They’re loaded with enough sugar that this doesn’t actually freeze the fruit. The chilling process should last anywhere between a few days (for Bartlett) up to two months (for Bosc). Without this near-freeze, pears will slowly soften without actually developing flavor or real succulence; when you buy commercial pears, whether from a farmers market or a grocer, they’ve already experienced this stage. The closest approximation of this process for home orchardist: set your refrigerator temperature control to 34-35 degrees and load up the fruit drawers with pears for a week. If you really want to get serious, grow Bosc pears and dedicate a second fridge to their winter chill; you can crank the temperature down to freezing and not have to worry about the lettuce and milk in your family fridge.
The last stage is the official “ripening” process. Ideally, this happens at cozy room temperatures, right around 70 degrees. Again, the length of time for ripening depends on the variety. Bartlett needs just a few days, while Bosc can sit for well over a week. If there’s a need to jumpstart this last stage, tuck your pears into a paper bag with a ripe banana. The ethylene gas produced by the banana, and trapped in the bag, will help the pears release their own more quickly than if they’re left to simply sit on the counter.
Once the pears are done with the final ripening phase, they can be returned to the refrigerator for up to a week.
TREES FOR NOVICE ORCHARDISTS
These trees have been proven to be highly reliable producers with strong disease resistance.
Bosc • Harrow Delight • Orcas (an island-sourced heirloom exclusive to Raintree Nursery) • Red Clapp
TREES FOR HOME CIDER MAKERS
These small, hard, highly acidic pears grow on prolific trees that can bear fruit for over a century.
Barnet • Butt • Gelbmostler • Any variety of Huffcap