Look for pears that are fully brown with little or no green. When they get very brown from hanging too long on the tree, they get overripe. The pear gets brown inside and mushy.
All the Asian pears I’ve grown do not ripen off the tree. They just start to rot eventually by the inside turning brown. Asian pears make nice pear juice. I use a Champion juicer with fine screen. But depends on the variety. I don’t like Hosui pear juice that much.
…if only my apples grew like Asian pears. I’d be the Z6 apple king!
What are your thoughts about Shinko? Also, when does it ripen in your climate? I have one hanging on the tree that does not yet appear to be fully ripe.
My hosui have been quite tasty, the few I’ve ever harvested. I’ve been waiting until they have a good deal of golden color to them. I have missed a few that went too far and started to rot without showing on the skin.
PS. I harvested my last Hosui on July 13th. Loooong growing season down here.
I don’t do it. I tried it once or twice to see it when I first heard about it. And I did it for you all here to shoot a photo. But I just look at them and pick one every so often like you, no shortage of fruit to test. The ones with a slight green patch, but mostly brown are still good.
I had one years ago. Nature took it out from a windstorm. Never replanted it. Was not that impressed. But I didn’t have it for 15 - 20 years, so can’t say from that viewpoint. Mine may have been 6 -7 years old.
I had a ‘Shinko’ years ago, heavily thinned it for large fruit, easily the size of softballs. Loved the flavor of caramel butterscotch in it’s juice. Tree was healthy, here.
Most ready to pick Asian and Euro pears come off the tree by just lifting it upwards. The stem pops off the tree and the fruit comes off with the stem attached to it if the fruit is ready to pick. And I say most Asian and Euro pears as I’ve only grown a few varieties and can’t speak for them all.
