Traditionally, pears are known as autumn fruit, but the different varieties of trees actually bear edibles from August through May. Pears grown in California, such as Bartlett and D'Anjou, are abundant for purchasing in the winter months for holiday dishes and snacks.
Experts advise that pears are best gathered while green to ripen indoors at room temperature, and after ripening be placed in the refrigerator (to slow down ripening). If left to turn yellow on the tree, the fruit gets gritty in texture.
Allow four to six days for green, firm pears to ripen at room temperature. The in-between stages are when the pears are turning green to yellow and losing firmness. Count on them to be ready to eat in two to three days. When the pears are golden yellow, they are at perfection, being the most flavorful, ripest, and juiciest.
Once the fruit is ripened, you'll have to decide how many individual pears to eat as a fruit snack and how many are needed to make fresh, delicious pear dishes.
Some of us remember eating Mom’s peeled and baked pears with sugar, water, and red hot cinnamon candies. Others remember Grandmother’s canned pears, pear butter, preserves, or jams.
Today’s cookbooks, home magazines, and even the Internet have recipes for how to make the next generation’s childhood memories of either traditional or new-style revisions of pear dishes for the holidays.
There are all kinds of recipes using pears, such as pear and cranberry pie with caramel sauce drizzled on top, cobblers, cakes, and cookies for those with a sweet tooth.
Then there are the different meats (pork tenderloin, ham, lamb, pork chops, duck, chicken, and seafood) cooked with pears. Don’t forget the relishes, compotes, salsas, and salads with pears. Even pizza can have bite-size pear as a topping.
Is you mouth watering yet? Here are three recipes courtesy of the California Pear Advisory Board to try out with fresh pears for the winter months.
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