How do you determine the proper time to pick pears?
I didn’t know until this year that pears are a fruit that needs to be picked before it ripens on the tree, but I have no idea at what point they should be picked, or even if they should be harvested gradually or the entire tree at once.
I’m asking now because today I was removing fruit that had developed dark brown areas that I know would just rot the entire fruit. While doing this, I found that some of these that were losing their greenness in the parts that weren’t brown. When we cut out the bad sections, the rest was actually juicy, tasty, and crisp. Not the dripping down your arms juicy of peaches, but crisp juicy.
These particular pears are supposed to be bartletts, but that doesn’t mean they are. Mine, even with thinning, are always much smaller than store bought, have lots of russeting from the get go, and mostly have a more globular shape than “pear” shape. On some branches they develop a blush. On others, they don’t.
The short question is really just - how do I determine the right time to pick them?
When the neck has a little give. Then let them sit on the counter a few days until they are dripping down your arms. Or some people refrigerate them, but I never have.
Muddy, some pears can be left to ripen on the tree, other cultivars should be picked prior to ripening on the tree, and put in cold storage or at the least, on the counter for a week or two, to ripen. One general way to tell if a pear is ready, is to lift it up. It it breaks away stem from branch, it is ready. Bartletts are usually ripe in late August or thereabouts. And by your description, they don’t sound like Bartletts. Try posting a photo and let’s see what they look like.
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Thank you.
By “when the neck has a little give,” do you mean when the neck of the fruit itself develops a slightly softer feel? Is this perceived by slightly squeezing it, or what?
Sometimes I can be really good at misinterpreting explanations.
Of course, I could leave it up to the yellow jackets to tell me when they’ve gotten over ripe. 
But I’d like to quit doing it that way.
Yes, when the neck of the pear develops a slightly softer feel. You don’t need to pick all the pears at once, either. You can usually space them out over a couple weeks. If you see a couple pears on the tree turn yellow, that is a sign the rest are starting to be ready to pick.
Muddy, as you are seeing pears can be a tough call, but a good starting point for most is to harvest when the neck has a little give to your squeeze, and then chill for “a while” (I like to think two weeks) before taking out to finish in a few days on the counter top.
Here’s something Lucky shared a few years ago on the old board:
- Posted by lucky_p z6 W.KY (My Page) on
Fri, Oct 13, 06 at 13:03
From a friend of mine who’s spent his life growing fruits and fruit trees, and used to operate one of the foremost fruit nurseries in the eastern US:
“Most all European pears (exception is the new Green Jade), require post-picking chill to properly mature. Or, when fruit exhibit slight color changes, begin to test pressure (using your thumb) near the stem. When there is a slight “give”, pick all the fruit, store at or near 35 degrees for 7 or more days. Then you can remove them as needed, allow them to sit at room temps for 2-4 days which allows them to ripen to peak flavor.
Years ago, I got a letter from an older NAFEX fellow who told me that European types were very difficult to ripen due to varietal quirks or requirements in post harvest handling. He said “If you live long enough to learn how to properly ripen 10 varieties, you’ll be lucky”.
I’m still working on it!!!”
Hope this helps …
: -)M
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Thanks, guys.
With your help, the yellow jackets won’t get their feast this year!