5 Tell-Tale Signs Your Pears Are Ready to Be Picked, Pros Say

Determining when a pear is ripe can be tricky because pears ripen even after picking. If you pick a pear too early, it could become unpalatably hard and sour, but if you leave a pear on its tree too long, it can get mushy.

“Pears also ripen from the inside out. so even when they look good on the tree, they might not be ready yet,” Evan Torchio, founder at Tree Menders, explains.

Hence, it’s vital to know when to pick pears. We chatted with fruit tree experts to find out when you should set your sights on gathering pears from your fruit garden.

Meet the Expert

Evan Torchio is the founder of Tree Menders, expert arborists.
Brianna Shales is a grower of organic fruit trees and the marketing director at Stemilt.

5 Signs Your Pears Are Ready to Harvest

Changed Color

Your pear’s color will start to change from green to a more yellowish hue. Of course, the exact color change will depend on the pear variety. Torchio explains how Bartlett’s pears will turn yellow when they ripe and the ones that are usually green may lighten up a bit.

Softened Stem

This will make detaching the pear from the plant easy, while unripe pears will want to hang on to the tree as long as possible. According to Torchio, the area around the stem should be slightly soft when you gently press it.

Changed Skin

Unripe pears have rough skin. But once the fruit is ripe, the pear will feel waxy and smooth to the touch.

Brown Seeds

Checking for this will require cutting one of the fruits to see the seeds. Once a pear is ripe, it should have dark brown seeds instead of green seeds.

The Number of Days From Bud

Brianna Shales, a marketing director at Stemilt, explains how each variety has a different growth time.

“When the fruit blooms, tree fruit has an approximate number of days from full bloom to harvest that gives us an estimation of when the fruit should be ready,” Shales says.

Check with your local nursery or plant experts to learn what variety of pear trees you have if unsure.

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How to Pick Pears

Find a mature pear using the tips above.
Then cup the pear in your hand.
Twist or turn it slightly to detach it from the branch. But do not pull or yank the pear too hard. This could damage next year’s bud.

Tips for Picking the Best Pears

Limit the number of pears you pick at once. Torchio recommends only picking a few at a time so you can enjoy them during their peak.
Don’t harm the bud. This means not yanking or pulling down too hard on the pear. Instead, use a gentle twisting motion instead of pulling it off, or else you may damage the bud, Shales says.“We want to help maintain the buds which will become next year’s crop,” Shales explains.
Look for light yellow, sun-kissed colors. There should be some light yellowing on one side of the fruit, or there might be a slight blush hue, Shales says. These colors indicate the pear will have the right amount of flavor and sweetness.
Wait until the pear has softened. “If you pick a pear when it’s too hard, it takes a long time to ripen on its own,” Shales explains. Picking too early can also inhibit the pear’s ability to reach full size, leaving you with tiny pears.

FAQ

When the fruit’s color has changed, the skin appears waxy and smooth, and the pear easily twists off from the tree with little effort.

The exact picking time depends on your location and variety.

“But generally, pears are ready from late summer to early fall, from around August to September in many places,” Torchio says.

Yes, pears will still ripen after picking. Torchio suggests leaving them on the counter for a few days and putting them in a paper bag with apples or bananas to speed up the process.

Meanwhile, some pears need extra ripening time on their own. For example, winter pears like d’Anjou and red d’Anjou need time in cold storage to ripen.

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