THIS WEEK IT’S “LAST CALL” of our 10-week Food Fest series with the Dinner Tonight blog, but rather than sounding a last call I’m calling out for help. What in the world do I do with a giant old pear tree loaded with rock-hard fruit? Anybody got a recipe for ripening (or want to break the news to me to just give up)?
I don’t even know if this lone pear, with its handsome lichen-covered trunk (background, below), is “wild,” or was planted by a previous owner, as were the remaining half-dozen or so big old apples that have already seen most of a century on this land, a remnant of a long-ago fruit orchard.
Each year I’ve just enjoyed the pear for the character-filled tree that it is, and written off the fruit as useless, and a nuisance at that, since much of it drops to the ground and creates an experience not unlike mowing over golfballs (if you don’t slip and fall first after stepping on one). Birds and other wildlife love it, but the one time I tried a bite it was gritty and near-impenetrable.
Pears don’t ripen on the tree, and require some chill to do so as well, that much I know. I’ve read the lowdown on all of this from the Oregon State Extension, situated in prime pear-growing country. But some varieties require two days of chill, at about 30 degrees, and others need a couple of weeks or even six. The true wild pear never really ripens to a humanly palatable state.
I was hoping to make and put up an intriguing-sounding Caramel Pear Butter with 7 pounds of the pears per batch…but maybe I’m just dreaming. Anybody have any experience with stubborn “wild” pears?
WHAT’S YOUR LAST-CALL RECIPE?
As Deb of Dinner Tonight will tell you, this week’s not Pear Week but really “Last Call” of Food Fest, meaning whatever you’re still cooking fresh from the garden or farmer’s market is what we want to hear about. Stocking up on a final batch of pesto ice cubes, or did you snag some remaining sweet corn for a final freezer batch? Clicking on the category called “Edibles” in the right-hand column of this page will take you through the 10 weeks of Food Fests, and hundreds of links and comments with recipe suggestions from the expanding community this project helped created. (That means you.) There are many, many more recipes over at Dinner Tonight, the blog for Everyday Food magazine, so I recommend a visit. Speaking of which…
HOW THIS CROSS-BLOG FOOD FEST WORKS:
Now it’s your turn: Have a recipe or tip for your last-minute harvest favorites? Leave it in the comments below. Then be sure to go visit my friend Deb at Dinner Tonight and do the same. The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your idea and favorite links (whether to your own blog or another’s) at both host blogs.
Thanks for attending our debut season of Food Fests. Deb and I promise there will be more cross-blogging to come, if not right this minute. We’re always cooking up something…but in case I forget, won’t somebody remind me on Twitter? Thanks.
Those look exactly like pears we had at our old house. I can’t remember the name of them, but they are common around here South Louisiana). I’ll see if hubby remembers.
We did eat them. We made pear butter. Basically you do have to cook them. The pear butter was delicious, though! I have a nice recipe if you would like me to send it. :)
Oh, those pears look just the ones my grandma grows! They’re great with squash.
* cut a crookneck summer squash (the yellow ones, don’t remember the right name) in half. take out seeds. put in the oven on a cookie sheet at 375ish
* dice a shallot and one of those pears
* melt some butter in a pan, put in shallot and pear
* cook until it smells nice and it’s soft
* add some raisins or dried cranberries or whatever
* take squash out of oven, put the shallot and pear in the hollow of the squash. add nutmeg, and optionally cheese or rice or anything you think might be good
* put it back in the oven until the squash is cooked through (maybe 40 minutes? depends on your squash size)
(sorry this is such a loose recipe, I just kind of toss it together with what’s around)
Anyway, those small hard pears hold up well enough that they don’t fall apart in the recipe, but they will soften from the sauteeing and cooking. :)
I have some that I picked hard about a month ago. I have them in the fridge, some are beginning to soften. I also made wonderful preserves, with hard ones, they cooked for about 2 hours so they were soft when done. The recipe is here: Pear Preserves
I agree with Kari — cooking will be required. And if they haven’t fully ripened you probably will want other flavors in your dish. My favorite dish would be a pear/apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream or Mazarintarta: a marzipan tarte with pears.
Use your favorite pastry crust (I use one from Martha’s Pies and Tart book). Peel and core pears and slice them. Then put them cored side down on the crust with the slices all in order so they make a whole pear “half.”
Filling; 8 Tblspn. softened butter, 1 cup (8 oz.) almond paste, 2 eggs, i tsp. lemon rind, 2 Tblspn. flour. Mix filling ingredient and pour over pears. Bake at 325 degrees about 40 minutes until filling is set. Dust top with powdered sugar when cool. You can also brush the inside of the crust with melted chocolate for a little flavor surprise when the tart is served. Elegant without being too difficult.
For lots of pear recipes and fabulous photos I suggest finding a copy of “Pears” by Linda West Eckhardt. “The Great Book of Pears” by Barbara Jeanne Flores has good photos of many kinds of pears but none that look quite like yours except for decorative willow leaf pears but yours definitely do not seem to have the willow leaf.
I don’t have any advice about the pears, but if you decide to make that Caramel Pear Butter, BEWARE! I made it a few days ago and it is delicious. It is also the most messy, painful recipe I’ve ever cooked — once you put the puree on the stove to reduce, it’ll splatter like you wouldn’t believe. And because there’s caramelized sugar in there, it’s freakin’ hot. I have the burns on my arms to prove it! And sticky pear splatters on my walls, ceiling, stove, cabinets, and refrigerator, too. :-)
I have the same problem and posted about it today too!! My readers have some really yummy suggestions:-)
I live in Seattle and also have a (roughly) 100 year-old pear tree with rock hard fruit, that won’t seem to ripen. Looks identical to yours. I’d love to use the fruit, so I can’t wait to hear what your readers recommend.
Just a note – if they are the same kind we had, they will never get soft!
Pears do not ripen on the tree. I don’t know any tricks to speed up the process of ripening, but I would just keep them in a bowl on a table. I’m sure you’ll get some wonderful tasting fruit in no time.
Welcome Andrew, Lisa, and Chris C. Thanks, Chris, for the warning…it sounded so yummy. But lethal, huh? Uh-oh.
Thanks to all of you, including Andrew, for recommendations on what to do…more are welcome!…and I think I am going to divide up the gigantic crop and try a few things. Let’s see if Lisa and I get an answer that works for our big old trees full of fruit.
unlike some on this blog, ahem, i didn’t fret out and pick green tomatoes a couple of weeks age, but have let them ripen quite nicely into october up here in ne columbia county. i have taken to a roast tomato soup recipe, which can be found in a search on the nyt online (published 7/25/08). roasting the tomatoes gives ripe tomatoes a nice rich earthiness, which is helped out by the italian parsley, basil, onions and garlic (all of which i triple in amounts). immersion blend, but don’t strain. simmer to reduce in a creuset. a potage from the gods when the tomatoes come from your soil!
One of the local orchard owner’s has a pear tree that the fruit remains hard/firm until you wrap it in newspaper or put the box of fruit under a layer of straw. It might be worth a try on your ‘wild pear’ fruit.
The last 2 years I’ve picked our pears right before leaving on vacation. They sit in a bushel basket in the breezeway and when we come home 10 days later, they’re ripe. I have heard that if pears are allowed to ripen on the tree they become more gritty. I pick them because I prefer that we eat them, as opposed to the squirrels and raccoons stripping the trees bare.
My mom’s visiting and last night she tossed a few pears in with a roasting chicken and vegetables. It was really delicious!
Welcome, Jeni. I am trying all of these suggestions: determined to have ripe fruit! Thanks, and do visit again soon.
@Diana: Roasting! Hadn’t even thought of that. My goodness, will I be busy with all these experiments.
I have 2 of those pear trees in Copake. I have found the fruit ripens in the winter–December/January. My neighbors, who have lived here for generations, come over to pick them for pie filling.
Welcome, Barbara, and thank you for the tip. Do you leave them on the tree into the winter, or pick soon and store them till December when they will ripen?
For those who are interested I posted a more concise version of the pear marzipan tart on my blog: http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com.
Molly O’Neil has a great recipe for pork loin, pears, potatoes and ginger beer — a nice roasted autumn combination — in her book, “A Well-Seasoned Appetite.” Actually there is a whole chapter on pears.
Look like keifer pears. Hard, little bullets of a pear. Cook with them.
Welcome, Sally Moon, and thanks for another angle of exploration: keifer pears? Heading out to research now…
We leave the fruit on the tree until November/December, or whenever it starts to fall off. A couple of days on the counter and it’s ready to be eaten or baked. Every year people we don’t know just stop by and ask if they can pick some pears. Maybe it’s some variety indigenous to Columbia county. Who knows?!
I have a pear tree in Philadelphia that produces larger than those you show. They turn golden when ripe, but usually are eaten by squirrels and other critters if I wait that long. When I pick them green, they do not ripen well, but I have found they work well if used as tart apples in any recipe. Instead of applesauce, we have made pearsauce, which is very easy, very good, and can be made in large batches to share when you have an abundance of fruit.
Welcome, Liz. I am hesitant to pick too soon, but not sure when the moment is. I am so enjoying learning how others have solved the pear mystery, including your suggestions. Hope to see you soon again.
We have a pear in NC that was planted on most every farm years ago called Kieffer pear. It is like what you describe, rock hard. These pears were prized for making preserves because they not only make a delicious honey like liquid, the pear slices keep their shape and color. Although recipes call for lemon juice I never use it and my preserves are a beautiful golden color. It’s worth a try and you may find you have a real gem.
Welcome, Marsha. This week I am going to take some fruit and try a few of these things…and leave some out there on the tree for other experiments later I think. Thanks for your tip, and do come see us soon again.
I saw your avatar on twitter and ended up following your link to your blog and I just have to say how awesome a picture it is.
Welcome, MrBrown Thumb, and thank you for the compliment. The photographer (many years ago) was Kit Latham, whose Flickr photo stream is here.
I think it is a sand pear .no doubt there was a time in this country when folks would graft and try their hand at creating new varieties but down here in the south it is recommended that cooking the pears in a skillet to soften them up and then placing in a pie shell is a good approach. Having said that not all pears are eaten out of hand is there not an Ag Extension agent in your county and perhaps Cornell has a Ag department and papers published dealing with fruits found in new York??
Welcome, Kathleen. Yes, Cornell probably knows…and if I could only find it in the maze that starts here and quickly takes me to here, and I get exhausted. :/ I will try again, and meantime just experiment and see if I can create something delicious with these mystery fruits. As old as the tree is, it could be the rootstock that just grew up and over the former desired variety that was grown on it, and not a cultivated variety at all, I suppose.
Being as to how it’s last call, I’d like to be contrarian again and recommend making caponata, a mind-bendingly delicious harvest preserve that – for once – can’t be called “lazy girl’s” or ” Quick n’ easy,” or anything similar.
Actually, it IS pretty easy, but caponata made the old fashioned way is not work-free: you have to fry the eggplants and celery and onions in olive oil before simmering them in the thick sweet-sour tomato sauce and adding the capers and olives. But there are some things that are worth the trouble and anyone still reading can check it out at http://leslieland.com/blog/choosing-good-eggplants-and-making-them-into-caponata-the-ultimate-vegetable-preserve
PS. Congrats on the orchid, Margaret. So gratifying when they come through.
If you decide to make Pear Butter try the recipe in a crock pot. I made Apple Butter a few years ago. I filled the crock pot with apple slices and spices and 8 hours later it was perfectly done. No scorching, no stirring, perfect consistency. Very easy.
An elderly neighbor just dropped off four bags of pears that sound like what you describe. I didn’t have the heart to turn them away and he is quite deaf so asking questions about them wasn’t an option. they are hard as a rock so I am interested in finding out how any of your expiraments turned out. from what I have read I still can’t find out how to tell when they are ripe because it seems they never get soft like other pears. I have never canned or made preserves but don’t want these to go to waste so any ideas or recipies will be much appreciated!
Welcome, JeniTN. I brought some in a few weeks ago to see what happened (some people said just put them in a bowl and I did), and left some out on the tree to experience some chill (as some commenters suggested). The ones inside are a little less rock-like, but not much. I am going to try a small batch of them cooked this week…stay tuned.
I just recently saw the movie, “Absolute Warhola,” which is about Andy Warhol’s family in Slovakia. In it, a man pointed out a large pear tree with small fruit growing on the old family property of the Warhols. The man said they were not that good for fresh eating. Rather, they dried the fruit and used it to flavor soups in the wintertime.
I also think they’re Kieffers. My cousin and I just harvested a bushel of them on Sunday.
They are the premier preserves pear; their firm consistency holds up well in canning. We also use them for pear cake, pie, and butter. My cousin coincidentally just called, and I asked her for her preserves recipe. Unfortunately, this is one of those general recipes you get from family, so I’m guessing at measurements:
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6-8 cups of peeled, cored, and thin-sliced pears
6-8 cups sugar
1 T Fruit Fresh
Toss pears with sugar and Fruit Fresh and allow to macerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.
In a large kettle, bring the pears and their liquid to a boil.
Add 1 carton of Sure-Jell or 2 oz of other fruit pectin.
Reduce heat and cook, low and slow, for two hours, to reduce liquid and render pears translucent.
Put into sterlized Mason jars, add lids and rings, and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath (she often omits this step, but I recommend it!)
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While they’re not the best for eating out of hand, their tart taste and crunchy mouth feel can grow on you. I grew up with them, and so they’re my favorite.
Tonight I am starting to process the mystery pears: peeling, chopping/slicing, and putting into the slow cooker. Wish me luck. I am optimistic that I will create pear sauce or pear butter or both in time. Have been experimenting with your suggested cooking tips a few pears at a a time, and they do indeed get soft. Stay tuned for the results.
We inherited a pear tree when we got our house and I waited for weeks waiting for them to turn yellow and soft on the tree. Then I read that when they are yellow and soft they are considered overripe like bananas turning black and that they are great for making pear sauce and pear butter. I happened to cut one of these hard as a rock pears open and was shocked to discover how juicy and sweet it was! We decided we like them this way. You have to be careful when you let them get yellow and soft since pears ripen from the inside out and the core will often be rotted and not know it. We took our extras and sold them at the farmer’s market yesterday. I plan to wrap them individually in newspaper and enjoy soft pears by christmas.
Welcome, Noel, and thank you for your pear insights. I am partway through my pear cookery, and reserving some as you suggest for later use, to see if they ripen nicely. Do come visit again soon.
Those green rock-hard pears are an old-fashioned variety and not for commercial use in America, but great for cooking/baking. Had had hundreds on my young tree this year, with tree limbs breaking from the weight of them! Here is a delicious Pear Pie Recipe that I used and got rave reviews from all who tasted it! I made two pies with this recipe so far and plan to make more for gifts. I peeled and chopped LOTS of pears and put them into gallon-size ziplock bags and froze them. (6 cut up pears per bag = 1 pie’s worth) Here’s the recipe:
Old Fashioned Virginia Pear Pie
A carmelized nut topping glazes the top of this pear pie. Use a 9-in pie pastry recipe (you need two, pie has bottom and top crust) or buy store-bought pie crusts, and bring to room temperature before using
Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
About 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
6 cups thinly sliced peeled pears (I use the ones that grow in my backyard- their peel is green and
they’re firm and crisp; they don’t become soft when ripe…my neighbor called them “old
fashioned Virginia pears” and said her grandmother grew them)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
9-in pastry for double crust
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/2 chopped pecans
1. In large bowl, mix granulated sugar, four, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the allspice. Add pears and lemon juice; mix.
2. Mound fruit in bottom crust of pie pastry in pan so that it’s higher in the center than at the edges. Cut 2 tablespoons butter into small pieces and dot over pear mixture. (I forgot this last step and the pie came out tasting fine!)
3. Center the other pie crust over the fruit and fold top edge of top pastry under the edge of the bottom one, flush with pie rim; crimp together to seal. Cut several slits into top pastry. Set pie in foil-lined baking pan.
4. Bake on bottom rack at 375 until juices bubble under slits near center of pie- about 55 min.
5. Topping (I found this to be a bit too much and didn’t use it all! but you may want to):
In a 1-1/2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, stir remaining 3 tablespoons butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar, honey and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon; cook stirring often, until mixture bubbles all over, 2 – 4 minutes. Immediately stir in nuts and spoon mixture evenly over hot pie. Let cool on a rack about 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.
Oh, and by the way, that type of pear is not meant to soften. They are meant to be used when hard, crisp and juicy inside….like a crisp, juicy apple. Mine are usually ready to use by Sept/Oct each year. Some people pick them in August here in Virginia.
Welcome, Rebecca. The pie sounds delicious. Yesterday I peeled, wedged and poached my first batch of the pears, as a test. This morning I had some of the poached pieces with granola, a little cream and some maple syrup. Perfect. A pie may be in my future…
The pears on the tree after a frost ? Are they still good for harvest?
Welcome, Tim and Linda. I am using mine, and so far so good. I am cooking with them (poaching, making pear sauce, etc.) and no problems. I think any fruit exposed to multiple prolonged frost bouts will perish more quickly and/or get damaged, but harvest promptly and use.
Hi,
I enjoyed these pears in PA… An elderly lady in her 80′s came to my property to gather some for seeds to start pear trees. She knew the pear, I lost the name!
Her advice: Pick after first heavy frost… second she advised it is easy to know when to pick fruit, when the fruit is ripe it falls from the tree. I would gather after frost…friends would come and take baskets full…We made pie, jams, jellies, tarts, canned spiced pears… the best…I took this ladies advice brought seeds to NY when I relocated back to my home state, 2 years ago… have three trees about 4 ft tall now… Time will tell if fruit is true to parent tree. ENJOY! G
PS writing a children’s book based on that tree!
Welcome, Gloria. Yes, I have read this, too…and it seems to help. Thank you for the reminder, and do visit again soon.
All the pear butter recipes I find say to NOT peel the pears and then to put through a food mill. What is the reason for leaving the peel on? I sure would like to find an “easier” way! :) (I’m using Keiffer pears).
Welcome, JanTN. I don’t know why; I think either way (whether peeling first or using the mill after cooking to remove the pears) you’re accomplishing the same end result: no skins in finished butter. All I have done when making apple butter was pretend I was making applesauce (I don’t peel my apples, but when making butter do use the food mill to remove cooked skins) and then cook it down endlessly (and I mean it take eons) in the Crock-Pot or the oven until it thickens a lot and colors up.
I also have a mysterious pear tree. It has to be at least 36 years old because it was about seven feet tall when we moved here to our home near Cleveland. The pears are green with areas of brown on them. They never soften no matter what I do to them. They just get rubbery and then rot! I guess I never thought of cooking them. They are crisp and sweet and my dog LOVES them. She practically climbs the tree to get at them!…..So I guess they must be edible. She hasn’t died yet. I’m going to try making some pear preserves, and maybe a pie. Thanks for the good ideas and recipes.
Welcome, Linda. After 23 years here, last year was the first time I tried cooking my rock-hard pears. Live and learn. :) The birds and small animals here adore them, like your dog. I will experiment more this year, but not quite yet…waiting for my moment. See you soon again, I hope.
I had two Kieffers (as i have recently discovered), and the first couple of years, the pears were small and rock hard, as you describe. One year i decided to have them pruned and fertilized (organically w/ application to roots), and the next season they were absolutely amazing. I had bushels of the biggest, most succulent pears ever. They were hard, but crispy and sweet like apples, and that’s the way i ate them. Even canned them. They were the size of mangoes…probably 2 lb apiece. Last year i had so many i couldn’t get rid of them all. I pruned late winter this year, and the crop was smaller, but the size of the pears was astounding. i just finished canning all of them. A hint i picked up this year is that when the first pears start to drop, then pick them all, wrap them individually in paper (i used plain newsprint left over from a move), and store them in a cool place…i used an old fridge at about 40 degrees. Then a week before i wanted to can them, i brought them out and kept them at room temp. They were ripe but still firm. Actually, i think i liked the ones i canned last year when they were still crisp…they held their shape better, and i liked the texture better. Hope this helps.
Welcome, Susan, and thank you for the story of your pears. My tree is very, very old and large, and you are probably right: though it gets some pruning, it hasn’t been fed in decades or longer, I suspect. Hope to see you again soon.