Good day, dear readers! Pears are loved by both adults and children. Many gardeners grow this fruit tree in their garden plots. In today's article, we will talk about how to properly harvest pears and store the crop, because it is very problematic to catch the moment of optimal ripeness of pears. How to ripen pears already taken from the branch, is it possible to eat green fruits? I will answer these and many other questions in this article.
Signs of a ripe pear
The first indication of maturity is the firmness of the pear. Ideally, the fruit should be slightly firm. The peel should not have black dots, dents and spots. Aroma also helps determine which fruit is in front of you: a ripe pear will have a pleasant, sweetish smell.
Another test criterion is the stem. If it is elastic, then the pear is already ripe.
We ripen fruits at home
If you have removed fruits that have not reached full maturity, do not worry. There are a number of tricks that will help fruits ripen at home:
- Send the fruits to a room with a temperature regime of about 20 degrees and leave them there for up to a week. It is convenient to spread the pears on a large dish or tray. Do not use plastic bags for storage. In such conditions, the fruits will not ripen, but they will spoil with a high degree of probability.
- Before sending for ripening, the fruits should not be washed, you just need to wrap them with a layer of paper. Never send unripe pears to the refrigerator, because the cold will not allow the fruits to ripen.
- Neighborhood with other fruits will help speed up ripening. To do this, pears can be sent in one package with apples or bananas. The secret of the method is simple: ripe fruits release ethylene (a special gas that affects the ripening and flowering of many crops), which helps unripe fruits reach maturity.
- Use paper bags for storage.
It is worth noting that the general period of ripening pears does not exist. The determining role is played by the parameters of the microclimate and the characteristics of the variety. So that the fruits do not have time to overripe, it is worth periodically monitoring their condition in packages.
How to keep ripe pears longer?
Depending on the variety, pears can be stored without losing their taste characteristics from two weeks to one and a half months.
Keeping fruits longer will help the following rules:
- Do not store pears in the refrigerator with other foods. It is better to allocate a separate compartment for them.
- The optimum temperature for storage is from 0 to 5 degrees Celsius. Every day it is worth checking the fruit for spots or signs of decay.
- In the absence of night frosts, pears can be stored in the space of a balcony or loggia. At negative temperatures, the pulp of the fruit becomes watery and loses its sweetness.
- If your home has a cellar or basement, the hearths can be stored there, after placing them in wooden boxes. However, it is worth considering that the room must be well ventilated. Fruit boxes are recommended to be raised 20 centimeters from the floor level. It is desirable to wrap each pear with paper.
- Fruits can be frozen for later use in cooking. Frozen pears can be stored for up to a year. To do this, ripe fruits must be thoroughly washed and the core cut out. Sliced \u200b\u200bfruits need to be dried, after which they can be sent to the freezer, previously sealed.
Now you know that fruits taken from a tree ahead of time can be successfully ripened even in a city apartment. The main thing is to provide the microclimate necessary for aging.
Read also: Methods of propagation of ordinary and remontant raspberries. Tips & Tricks
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