From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

A friend has a conference pear tree that is fruiting for the first time.
His question is: "How do I know when the pears are ripe?" Only having a
few pears this year he is reluctant to just pick and try one that he may
have to bin.

Thanks
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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

On 17/08/2025 19:25, Polly@golly wrote:

A friend has a conference pear tree that is fruiting for the first time.
His question is: "How do I know when the pears are ripe?" Only having a
few pears this year he is reluctant to just pick and try one that he may have to bin.

Thanks

When the birds have eaten them they are ripe
--
"First, find out who are the people you can not criticise. They are your oppressors."
- George Orwell

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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

Polly@golly <pwllgloyw@gmail.com> wrote:

A friend has a conference pear tree that is fruiting for the first time.
His question is: "How do I know when the pears are ripe?" Only having a
few pears this year he is reluctant to just pick and try one that he may have to bin.

Pears go from rock hard/unripe to squishy/overripe in about half an
hour! :-)

Seriously it's quite difficult to judge when to pick them, err on the
side of too hard is my advice.

We have the most amazing crop of both Conference and William pears this
year, I've never seen so many, they've even broken a couple of branches.
--
Chris Green
-+
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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

On Sun, 17 Aug 2025 19:25:22 +0100, "Polly@golly"
<pwllgloyw@gmail.com> wrote:

A friend has a conference pear tree that is fruiting for the first time.
His question is: "How do I know when the pears are ripe?" Only having a
few pears this year he is reluctant to just pick and try one that he may >have to bin.

Thanks

Unripe pears are rock hard. Ripe pears are ever so slightly softer.
Do a little experimenting with supermarket pears. They're almost
always under-ripe when bought, so give them a daily squeeze to
get a feel for how they ripen, then bite into one for confirmation,
and use the experience on your home-grown ones.
--

Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
from the West, but open to the North and East.
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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

On 19/08/2025 07:56, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 17 Aug 2025 19:25:22 +0100, "Polly@golly"
<pwllgloyw@gmail.com> wrote:

A friend has a conference pear tree that is fruiting for the first time.
His question is: "How do I know when the pears are ripe?" Only having a
few pears this year he is reluctant to just pick and try one that he may
have to bin.

Thanks

Unripe pears are rock hard. Ripe pears are ever so slightly softer.
Do a little experimenting with supermarket pears. They're almost
always under-ripe when bought, so give them a daily squeeze to
get a feel for how they ripen, then bite into one for confirmation,
and use the experience on your home-grown ones.

We generally just gently handle the pears until they come off in our
hands, normally some time in September. good news is they cook well even before being fully ripe
--
Charlie Pridham
Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
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From Newsgroup: uk.rec.gardening

Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sun, 17 Aug 2025 19:25:22 +0100, "Polly@golly"
<pwllgloyw@gmail.com> wrote:

A friend has a conference pear tree that is fruiting for the first time. >His question is: "How do I know when the pears are ripe?" Only having a
few pears this year he is reluctant to just pick and try one that he may >have to bin.

Thanks

Unripe pears are rock hard. Ripe pears are ever so slightly softer.
Do a little experimenting with supermarket pears. They're almost
always under-ripe when bought, so give them a daily squeeze to
get a feel for how they ripen, then bite into one for confirmation,
and use the experience on your home-grown ones.

A fruit seller once told me to press in the dimple at the bottom of the
pear. If that 'gives' slightly, the pear is ripe.
--
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk
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