Bosc pears are ripe when....

[ohiofarmgirl]

?????

i have some lovely bosc pears but they are still hard and green...but i think i remember you have to pick them then they soften??

anybody know off the top of their head?

 

[bills]

I would leave them as long as you can on the tree, and test them from time to time. I usually find mine are ready for picking in early October. It can vary a week or so, from year to year. They will ripen indoors similar to a Bartlett, so if you have frost concerns later this month...

My small yellow plums, perhaps due to the drought like conditions, I only harvested a few days ago. Usually they would have been picked a few weeks ago...wierd..:/

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

roger, bills

i keep looking at them longingly.. this year they are huge and amazing.. last year (first summer on this property) i thought they were some mini variety b/c they were so small! but i guess it was just to dry

i'll go give 'em a squeeze later on..

 

[Ridgerunner]

I took this directly off a website. Several I checked said basically the same thing.

Bosc pears will turn from green to russet/yellow when ripe, but most pears dont change color as they ripen. As well, pears ripen from the inside out. Heres the best way to check for ripeness: gently press your thumb against the stem end of the pear. Pears are ripe and ready to eat when slightly soft to the touch. If you need to store pears, you can place them in the refrigerator for two to five days.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

update... instead of:

i'll go give 'em a squeeze later on..

i'll give 'em the poke the stem end later on...

 

[chicken stalker]

Did you plant your Bosc, if so where did you get it from?

 

[wifezilla]

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/pears.html

"One advantage to growing your own fruit trees is that you can get tree-ripened fruit, a real rarity in the grocery store. But, unlike other fruits, pears will reach their best quality when ripened off the tree.

When left to ripen on the tree, most cultivars of pears leave something to be desired in terms of texture and flavor. Tree-ripened pears often turn soft and brown at the core and have an excessively grainy texture.

There are several indicators that help you determine when to begin harvesting pears. The most obvious sign is a color change. Pick pears when their color changes from a dark- to light- or yellowish-green, but before they are fully yellow. The fruit should be relatively firm. The small dots on the skin, called lenticels, should turn from whitish to corky brown.

Mature fruit will separate easily from its spur by lifting and twisting. Slice open a fruit to check the seeds inside. The seed coats should have turned from white to brown. Fruit on heavily loaded trees usually mature a little slower.

Mature pears should ripen within a few days, if stored at 60-70 F and high relative humidity (80-85 percent). Pears will ripen even faster if stored with other pears in a closed container, such as a paper sack. Ripening fruit gives off a gas called ethylene, which in turn stimulates further ripening. Ripened pears should "give a bit" when pressed near the stem end.

If longer-term storage is desired, chill the pears to 32-35 F as soon as possible after harvesting. Perforated plastic bags can be used to keep relative humidity high. Be careful not to bruise or puncture the fruit, as injuries provide an entry for decay organisms. Although different cultivars of pears vary in their maximum storage time, most can be held from two to four months under ideal conditions."

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

thanks WifeZ - great article!

chickenstalker - nope the tree was here when we got to this property (our 2nd summer)