My notes say last time I made it I bought 6 pounds of pears (I'd bet DH ate one or two before I made it though :-)

Hope that helps.

I don't know what kind of pears these are

Best to find out. At least make sure they aren't Asian Pear (a variety) as they are one of the exceptions to "most fruits are acidic" and require added acid.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Pear Varieties

No, Dave. These pears are off trees over a hundred years old. There is no way to tell. I've asked the DNR to identify them, but it's purely supposition. The older people around here call them horse pears.

They're green, pear shaped and smallish, but the size could reflect the drought or other growing conditions.

They do soften on the trees right before windfall, but I pick them early when they're still quite firm.

Malna, you're an angel. I'm eager to make these recipes.

Deborah

How neat to find old heirloom "who knows what variety I am" fruit. Dont'ya wish the trees could talk - I'd love to hear the stories.

Here's another nice Web site describing pear varieties. There are some interesting recipes there, too.

I noticed that their "how many pears = how many pounds" measurement equated to 1 pear = 1/2 pound. The ones I get here at the farmer's market are more like 1/3 pound each average.

I'm pretty sure the last time I bought them to make this, I counted out 15 pears (pretty sure they were Bartletts, but I can't swear to it) and it came out to just a tad over 6 pounds.

I suppose figuring this out is just part of the fun and challenge (as is not using pectin in jelly LOL).

Here is a link that might be useful: USA Pears

I made the caramel spice pear butter last night and got 9 pints. This will be my new go-to recipe from now on. The depth of flavor was amazing, and my husband, who is difficult to please when it comes to sweet things, was eating it with a spoon, like icecream.

I think this would be terrific on chocolate pound cake, among other things.

I went to the site you linked. I think these pears looked most like the anjou.

Deborah

I'm so glad you liked it - I wish I had recorded who originally posted it (I didn't know better back then) but I do have a note that it was a Sunset Magazine recipe from the 1970's.

It is one of our favorites. My DH rarely, if ever, eats sweet things, but he does like this.

Happy canning!

Not worth a new thread, but this year I had a good pear harvest, and was kicking around the web looking for tips on ripening them. Found the link below, where it refers to keeping them at 30F for a few days (Bartlett) or a few weeks for other varieties, then putting them in a paper bag to ripen up.

So I filled a couple of cooler boxes about 2/3 full of pears and covered them with crushed ice, and left them for two days, replenishing the ice about half-way through. Then put them in paper grocery bags for about a week, then started to test them for ripeness.

It really made a difference. Much sweeter, meatier, like eating candy.

What we didn't eat fresh were turned into pear butter with orange and ginger.

Here is a link that might be useful: link

@cannond - we have a pear tree just like that on our property. We know it is over a hundred years as the property has been in my husbands family for coming up on a hundred years now, and it was here when my husband's grandfather bought the property. It is a great tree with small, green, pear shaped fruit. I have no idea the variety and no one has been able to give me a name either. Stupid squirrels swiped my entire harvest off the tree this year though. I didn't even get one pear and there were hundreds ;( Enjoy your pears!

David52,

That's a neat trick for ripening pears. Thanks for posting it!

Kali, my pears are broken down and not producing much anymore. In fact, they'll probably be dead in a year or two. I'm thinking about grafting them on to some stock, that way I can keep the history alive, if that makes any sense.

Deborah

Deborah, I think every year that my pear tree is dead. It is this strange gnarly thing that actually ONLY produces pears. It has NO leaves really to speak of. The link I added below is a pic I took at the height of summer this year (I was testing a new lens on my camera, hence the weird image). You can see very little foliage. What you think you see is actually a tree behind it our by the road. Unfortunately there are also no pears on it as the squirrels have already raided at this point.

I have no idea how it produces fruit every year with so little leaves. I keep telling my husband when spring arrives that I think this is the year that it may have finally died and it keeps surprising us. I would have hundreds of pears if not for the squirrels (netting next year for sure). He thinks it will outlast us if no one takes it out on the way down the driveway one day (crazy UPS drivers). Maybe your pears will bounce back.

Kalindi

Here is a link that might be useful: Pear tree

My neighbor has one like that as well, the trunk maybe 3x that diameter, well over 100 yrs old, and its almost completely hollow as well.

It just keeps going and going and going......

I think your trees prove the old saw: "Plant pears for your heirs...."

One of my favorite fruit, but I've had little luck finding good local pears this year. Enjoy!

No local pears either, but that tree looks just like one my friend has, he calls it the "Magic Pear Tree" because it just keeps bearing fruit, even though everyone is sure that it's going to fall over any moment.

I have some old pear trees too, with very small, grainy, hard pears that never soften no matter how I try to ripen them. Grandma called them "winter pears", I haven't figured out what they are. There aren't any this year anyway.

Squirrels. Ugh. Mine get every almond on my tree, every single year.

Annie

I may have to adopt the "magic pear tree", it fits.

I am very sorry for your almond loss every year. I know now why my father in law used to sit on the porch grumbling about "stupid squirrels" when he happily fed all the wildlife except the squirrels. He even would make us buy milk bones for a raccoon that wondered up and he hand fed. He was certainly the one responsible for the dozen groundhogs on the property that we had to trap and move away from the garden when we moved in..... but don't mention a squirrel to him!!!!

Kalindi

I'm wondering if you have been able to identify your pear tree that's 100 years old etc. If you haven't I may be able to help. I grow 13 different types of fruits & berries and have worked for an old old museum here in town that has done a terrific job of continuing to grow very old varieties of fruits & vegetables from seeds out of the original Wylie Garden. Let me know if I can help.
Can be reached at iluvs2fish@gmail.com or plantfreek@hotmail.com. Please put PEAR TREE in subject line.
Chris