"David Hare-Scott" <compost@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> Pears will ripen off the tree. OK but
>
> When is it best to pull them? When they are big? How big?
>
> Will they be better if left to ripen on the tree?
No. We have just had an argument about this in our household as I told
Himself that Pears are one of the few fruits which need to be picked
before
ripe. Wouldn't believe me would he till I dragged out my fruit growing
books.
Louis Glowinski in his "The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia"
says:
"Pears must be picked when mature but still hard. If left too long on the
tree, the flesh, especially near the core, will become slimy, with the
rest
of the fruit being mealy and tasteless. The fruit develops best flavour
if
picked 2 weeks before full ripeness and it can be tricky to decide on
harvest time. If you goof and pick the pear too early it will never ripen
but merely lose water and shrivel.
Colour is not an indication of maturity." etc etc. he says that
Williams' pears must be picked when still very green and tha signs of
maturity are that it will separate from the tree easily, that even though
unripe it will still be juicy and sweet and trail and error.
Paul Baxter's "Growing Fruit in Australia" says the same about early
picking
but generally gives less detail than Glowinski.
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