Pears

Buying

Pears grow well in Ireland and local varieties are well worth trying if you can get them. Scuffs or specs are perfectly normal but obvious signs of bruising or decay mean that storage life will be limited.

Storing

Ripe pears will keep for a few days at room temperature but can keep for over a week in the fridge. They are fragile when ripe so don’t cram or enclose them in a bag. Bear in mind that pears are often hard when purchased, yet they tend to ripen very quickly. Like apples and bananas, pears give off ethylene gas  which speeds up the ripening of fruits nearby. Unless you actually want to ripen other fruit, store pears separately.

Freezing

Cut and core pears before freezing. You can also peel over-ripe pears and mash them before freezing in ice-cube or muffin trays.

Freezer life

3 to 6 months

Using up

With damaged pears and apples, make a good homemade compote or chutney. If you are using organic pears, keep the skin on the fruit. Pear is great on pizza too!