I'm guessing you mean Olympic which is a very high brix Asian and can take considerable frost although I'm not sure what the cutoff point is. Probably below 26 F.

Keepitlow:

I am also guessing you mean Olympic, and that you live somewhere in North Carolina, if memory serves me, so your climate conditions are not much different than mine.

I don't grow this variety, which may be later than most of the other asian pears, but many of mine were ripe by the end of August, and all were down by mid-September. I grow Chojuro, Shinseiki and Nijiseiki. I have found that it is better to pick asian pears when they have changed color, not only because they don't improve much after that point, but also because they keep a lot better. If I leave them hanging after they become very sweet, they are attacked by giant European hornets that hollow them out, and sting hell out you when you go to pick the pears. Don't you have these hornets in North Carolina?

If I were you, I would take those pears down, frost or no frost.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks.

Yes, it is the Olympic. (I guess) Name tag said Korean or Hardy Giant.

Hornets? We got lots of wasps, etc. They don't seem to bother the pears that much as of yet. When the pears were smaller I did have some insects hollowing a hole out.

Before Olympic was called that it was called Korean Giant, which is the name I bought my first tree under 20 years ago.

It is the best Asian I grow here in southeastern NY where Asians don't tend to sweeten enough. It is the sweetest, biggest, best textured variety imo of about 15 varieties I've tried. They will keep firm in a root celler or fridge for months.

I agree that once they turn from green to a beautiful golden they should be ready to pick. You might as well do it as I'm sure they're ripe by now down there, although KG is my last Asian to ripen. Some seasons I leave them on to the first week of Nov. but this year most are already ripe. Weird, because it's been very cool and wet.

Mine here in Michigan generally hang on until about Veteran's day before its cold enough to damage them, assuming I don't pick them first. While the leaves are still on the tree, it protects them a lot.

I'd say 25/26 degrees is about the cutoff, as stated above.

Luckily here, wasps aren't such a big probably after about the first week in October, they tend to mostly die off and go away, with just a few stragglers.

As far as keeping them goes -- I STILL have some of last years fruit in the fridge, in some of those Debby Meyer Green Bags. Those stupid things really DO work. The fruit is still crips, but I've found, since it's sort of on artificial "life support" it needs to be used in a couple of days, or it goes bad fast once taken out of the bags.

I also agree with harvestman -- if you want to store them, it's better that they're not too overly ripe on the tree, somewhat greener stores better.

Wait, I wouldn't say "somewhat greener" with Asian pears. True enough of apples which will sweeten up some in storage, but the Asian Pears should be ready to eat when picked. Not sure what you meant by somewhat greener. Of course "overly ripe" can never be good, but I think you meant overly ripe for storage not for eating.

I guess down south it may be a different story from what Don has said in the past, and the pears there just get sweeter and sweeteer until they're pure water-core. Water-core is never good for storage. Turns brown and rots.