What should I do with my abundance of pears?
You can simplify things massively in four easy ways:
- Freeze ’em – Chop them up, bag them, freeze them, use them later.
- Breakfast Sauce – Stew the pears down with some coconut oil, a little sugar and some spices. You can make a delicious sauce and freeze it. ...
- Ferment – Do you ferment? ...
- Fruit Leather – Every kid loves it. ...
What is the best cooking pear?
How to Cook Fresh Pears
- Poached Pears. Place the white wine, sugar, vanilla, cloves and orange zest in your saucepan and turn heat to medium low.
- Baked Pears. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the pears but do not remove the peel. ...
- Grilled Pears. Preheat your outdoor grill to medium heat. Combine melted butter, cinnamon and brown sugar in a large bowl.
Which are the best pears for eating?
Top Pear Cultivars
- Anjou. An old-time favorite, ‘Anjou’ produces large, short-necked fruits that are pale green with a light pink blush.
- Baldwin. ‘Baldwin’ produces attractive, oblong fruit in light yellow with a red tint. ...
- Bartlett. ...
- Bosc. ...
- Comice. ...
- Hood. ...
- Kieffer. ...
- Pineapple. ...
- Seckel. ...
- Summercrisp. ...
When to pick the Perfect Pear?
Look for these signs to help you decide when your pears are ready to harvest:
- Dark leaf-green skin color turns lighter green or yellowish-green
- Small dots on the fruit change from white to brown
- Skin takes on a waxy feel and the pebbly surface becomes smooth
- Fruit stem separates easily from spur or twig with an upward twist of the pear
- Seeds have turned brown
- Pears that have fallen to the ground are ripening.
What to do with hard unripe pears?
How to Store or Ripen PearsStore hard, unripe pears in a paper bag or covered fruit bowl at room temperature. ... You can also refrigerate unripe pears until you are ready to ripen them; then keep at room temperature.You cannot test ripeness by color because some varieties will not change color after picking.More items...•
Can I use hard pears?
Yes, in fact it's a great way of making unripe pears or hard cooking pears edible. Stewing unripe pears will enhance their natural sweetness, decrease their bitterness and make them soft and edible.
What can I do with small hard pears?
Still-firm pears can be poached in wine with citrus zest, fried with butter and ginger, roasted with spices, even baked on a pizza (try them with kale, onions and blue cheese).
What can I do with immature pears?
Pears, peaches, apples, and even plums do well. Any liquid–even water–can be used as a poaching liquid....Quick Tip: What To Do with Unripe FruitIt enhances sweet and sour flavors in the fruit.It decreases bitterness and astringency (that “fuzzy” flavor).It softens the fruit and makes it edible.
Are unripe pears OK to eat?
should only be eaten when ripe. Unripe pears not only have less taste and fewer valuable ingredients to offer, they are also difficult to digest and can cause stomach aches and gas.
What do you do with hard pears in the winter?
Winter pears should be put into some kind of cold storage (below 40 degrees F. down to 33 degrees F.) for at least three weeks. After that period, you can start to bring out the fruit as needed to soften up at room temperature.
Do pears have to be ripe to bake?
For cooking, pears should generally be “firm-ripe,” or just at the beginning of the ripening window. In this case, look for ripe fruit that yields only slightly when pressed near the stem.
Why are my pears rock hard?
Pear Ripening Cold storage will delay ripening; fruit will remain hard as long as it is refrigerated. Induce or shorten ripening time by placing pears in a paper bag with another ripe, ethylene-producing fruit, such as an apple or banana.
What are hard pears called?
Bosc pears can be tough and tasteless when they're not perfectly ripe (the skin is a bit tough, too), but they don't need to be soft to be ripe, so it can be hard to tell.
Can I use unripe pears for jam?
Pear Preserves using unripe pears! Yumm! If you are ever fortunate enough to locate an unattended pear tree and wondered what to do with your windfall, here is a fantastic recipe.
Do pears have to be ripe to poach?
Choose perfectly ripe pears for this poached pear recipe; if they're overripe, they will be too soggy, and if they're underripe, they won't poach well. Bosc pears, which hold their shape well when baked or poached, have a sweet, tart flavor, but you can also use Anjou or Bartlett pears.
Can you use unripe pears for baking?
Unripe pears are a good candidate for baking, as they will hold their shape and not fall apart as easily as softer, riper specimens. As with poaching, additional sweeteners, wine, and spices assist in bringing out the pears' flavors.
How do you soften up pears?
If you don't have a lot of time to wait for your pears to ripen, use the tried and true banana trick. Place your pears in a paper bag or an enclosed area with a ripe banana or apple. Ripe apples and bananas give off a gas called ethylene that triggers the ripening process in unripe pears. You gotta love science!
Can you ripen a pear in the microwave?
Place the pears with ripe fruits only when they are to be eaten. Consume immediately after the pears turn ripe. ✴ An additional step to this method can be heating the pear in a microwave for about 10-15 seconds on moderate power before placing it with ripe fruits in a brown paper bag.
Why won't my pears get soft?
Most pears should naturally produce ethylene in sufficient quantities to trigger their own ripening. However, pears that are improperly harvested or not sufficiently exposed to cold temperatures may ultimately fail to soften and ripen.
Go beyond the salad plate
A journalist, writer, and author, Lizz Schumer has 10+ years of experience covering food and drink for a wide variety of well-known print and online publications.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Pears, Walnuts, and Bacon
Roasting Brussels sprouts brings out their natural sweetness, giving them a caramelized flavor and slightly crispy edges. Combine those with pears, crunchy walnuts, and savory bacon and you've got a vegetable side dish that might just steal the show.
Grilled Pears
If you're firing up the grill, don't forget dessert! All varieties of pears work wonderfully when charred, which brings out their natural sweetness. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, or even a little cayenne for extra spice.
Lamb Stew With Pears, Apricots, and Mint
Try this Moroccan-inspired kosher lamb stew with pears, apricots, and mint for Passover or another holiday meal. It can be made two days ahead to give the flavors a chance to meld and take some work off your plate on the big day.
Sweet Pear, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Salad
Freshen up your lunchtime routine with this easy and elegant sweet pear, walnut, and gorgonzola salad. Just about any lettuce you prefer works fine, and you can choose any type of pear at the market, too. Dress it with a light vinaigrette to avoid masking the flavors. Vegans can leave off the cheese or substitute dairy-free varieties.
Fresh Pear Cobbler
Fresh pears and a buttery, cake batter-like topping make this delightful fresh pear cobbler an excellent choice for a fruity dessert or even a brunch side dish. Choose firm, ripe Anjou or Bosc pears for this recipe, or combine them with Bartletts for a little variety.
Sparkling Pear and Elderflower Martini
Have your pears and drink them too with this fizzy sparkling pear and elderflower martini. The delicate, floral cocktail mixes together pear vodka and elderflower liqueur with a finishing topping of champagne for a festive touch. It's just as perfect for a fancy event as a relaxed Sunday brunch or even a "treat yourself" cocktail hour.
Using Up Pears in Baking Recipes
I love baking! Baking is a great thing to do with lots of pairs. We have an Anjou Pear tree and these are crisp when raw so they cook really well and are delicious in baked goods. I grate them into my muffin recipes. I cut them into cubes and put them in a breakfast crisp.
Preserving Pears for Year-Long Enjoyment
Honestly, I don’t really love traditional canning these days. I wish I did, but as a mom of three I just find it’s too much pressure (no pun intended)
Sauté, Blend, Spread!
Yum! This is probably my all-time favorite way to eat our pears. This recipe for pear butter is easy, healthy, delicious, and keeps well in the fridge. If you’re wondering “What can I make with lots of pears?”…. make this sweet spread.
Paint and Craft
There are endless crafts and kids activities to do with pears. Here are a few ways we use up extra pears in crafts in the autumn.
Ignore, Hand Off, Give Away
I am not going to lie, this is my default setting for dealing with too many pears. Sometimes you have to put in absolutely no effort at all and not feel bad at all.
Buyer's guide
Pears are normally sold hard as they bruise easily. They will ripen in a few days at room temperature, but turn woolly if over-ripe.
Preparation
Pears are served cooked or raw, but in either case toss in a little neat lemon juice or acidulated water to prevent discolouration. Raw pears need to be prepared at the last moment. Use them in savoury salads, where they can be mixed with bitter leaves, sharp-flavoured cheeses, nuts or air-dried ham.
What Are the Different Types of Pears?
Pears are divided in to two major categories, European and Asian, though European pears are what we typically see and think of when we think of the pear-shaped fruit, while Asian pears are less sweet, crunchier, and usually more apple shaped.
How Many Varieties of Pears Are There?
Like apples, pears are available is a wonderfully wide array of varieties (up to 3,000 have been recorded!). There are Anjou (the most readily available type of pear in the U.S.), Bosc, Comice, Barlett, Concord, Seckel, Ferrel…the list goes on, and each one has a different flavor and texture.
What Are the Best Pears for Cooking and Eating?
A few varieties are only good to eat when cooked, but most of the varieties commonly available are also great for eating out of hand, and using in salads or other uncooked dishes, like a salsa. Pears that are very ripe will get quite soft when cooked, so you want to choose them before they get too ripe when baking or cooking them.
How Do You Store and Ripen Pears
Allow pears to ripen on the counter, which will take anywhere from 3 to 6 days. Barletts will turn from green to yellow as they ripen, though most other pears will not change color.
How Do You Cook with Pears?
Pears can be peeled, or cut up with the peel left on, but make sure to wash them well just before using. Some peels are smoother and some are rougher, so decide whether the texture of the peel will detract from the dish you are making.
How Can You Prevent Pears From Turning Brown?
Pears turn brown, or oxidize, fairly quickly.
What is the Difference Between Hard and Soft Pears?
Some pears get soft when they ripen (like Comice and Bartlett), while others (like Concord and Bosc) remain firm. If a pear variety is meant to be eaten soft, it will not have much flavor when it is unripe. See here to find out if the variety of pear you have is meant to be hard or soft.
How to store pears
Many people buy pears when they’re still a little hard and let them ripen up at home. If your pears are still unripe when you first buy them, leave them out on the counter, as they will ripen more quickly at room temperature.
Are overripe pears safe to eat?
Overripe pears are generally safe to eat, but they won’t taste as good raw, and they’ll also be super messy to eat with your hands. They can, however, be cooked and added to desserts or other sweet treats.
How to use overripe pears
If you have some overripe pears in your fridge, there are still plenty of ways to use them. Make the most of your slightly squishy bounty with these tips and tricks.
Smoothie
As we have already seen, slightly squishy fruit is great for smoothie-making, and we love this healthy but delicious green pear smoothie from The Spruce Eats.
Muffins
Diced fruit is a delicious way to keep cakes and muffins moist while adding a little extra sweetness, and once the cakes have been baked, you won’t be able to tell the difference between ripe and overripe pear.
Crumble
Crumble is another perfect way to use up overripe pears. Their extra-sweet flavour really makes that crumble filling extra delicious, and because the filling is hidden, it doesn’t matter if the fruit pieces are odd shapes where you’ve had to cut away bruises.
Caramelised pear bread pudding
Caramelised pears in a pool of sticky caramel syrup make the ultimate luxury topping for this comforting caramelised pear bread pudding by Eating Well.
