[almostthere]

My pears come in really well every year, but Ive never picked them b/c I never known when they were ripe. As you can guess, I havent handeled fresh pears before, LOL. My dh thinks Im supposed to pick them when they start to fall? and my sister thinks they are supposed to be picked and then they have to sit for a while. the few times I have picked them that have been rock hard inside and out, leading me to think they werent ripe. DH is wanting me to learn to can these, amoung other things. Anyway, any advise will be appreciated.

 

[kathy H]

seems to me most pears are picked when they come off easy then put in paper bags to ripen.

 

[Gayle in KY]

Kathy is right- pears usually ripen off the tree. They will be sweeter, if you DON'T let them ripen on the tree. Go figure.

 

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

Kathy is right- pears usually ripen off the tree. They will be sweeter, if you DON'T let them ripen on the tree. Go figure.

Whether the pears will ever get soft depends on the variety - most pears here in Texas are hard cooking pears and they don't get soft until almost rotten. They are great cooked and canned though. What you describe is correct for Bartlet and other dessert eating pears.