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ILOLI

Picking pears

P. Beurr Bosc

GARDENERS REFERENCE
Apples are said to be the King of Fruits while pears are touted
the Fruit of Kings. One can fully understand this expression
while savoring a bite of a properly ripened pear from a tree he or
she has cultivated, juice running down his or her face. Filoli has a
large pear tree collection of approximately 137 different cultivars.
This includes 25 Asian pear cultivars. Each cultivar has a specific
pick date, chilling requirement and ripening period before many
are tasted by festival goers at Filoli's Autumn Festival.

Picking Pears
Pears are classified as summer, autumn
or winter based upon their harvest dates.
For example Clapps Favorite' and
'Bartlett' are picked in late July or early
August and are classified as summer
pears. Use this classification to determine
the general harvest date for your pear tree.
Checking for ease of detachment is the
next important step for European pears.
Cradle the pear in your hand and lift it
parallel to the ground. When a pear is
ready to be picked it should snap cleanly
off of the spur with very little effort. Do
not pull straight down when picking.
European pears will still be rock hard and
not extremely flavorful but should not be
astringent to taste. Asian pears ripen on
the tree sequentially. When Asian pears
change from green to golden brown or
from green to yellow they are ready to
pick. To harvest, utilize a soft harvest bag
that straps over the shoulder and carefully
place fruit in the bag. Discard any pears
that are dropped to the ground as pears
bruise easily. Empty the harvest bag into
flats one layer deep.

storage induces ethylene gas production in

the pear. When European pears areremoved
from cold storage ripening takes place
uniformly throughout the fruit. On the tree
they ripen from the inside out leaving the
inner core mushy and distasteful by the time
the outer flesh is ready to eat. To properly
chill your pears, immediately place them in
cold storage between 35-40 degrees F after
harvesting. Commercially pears are placed in
cold storage at 30 degrees F or below. The
lower temperature leads to a longer chilling
period. At Filoli pears are chilled in the fruit
cellar at approximately 40 degrees F. You
may use a refrigerator set to the appropriate
temperature with adequate air circulation.
Open the door occasionally for ventilation.
Asian pears do not require chilling to ripen
but can be preserved for one to three months
if kept in cold storage. Refer to Table 1 for
pick dates, and chilling and ripening time
requirements (in days) for a hand full of pear
cultivars in Filolis collection.

Chilling
To obtain the sweet buttery flavor
sending juice running downone's face
European pears are picked when they are
mature but not tree ripe and then chilled
for varying amounts of time. This cold

Lift pear perpendicular to the branch when picking.

2007 Filoli

Ripening
Remove from cold storage and allow
European pears to sit in a dry cool place
between 55-60 degrees F. The ripening time
not only depends on the pear cultivar, but
also the specific season. After a few days
check your pears daily for ripeness. Place
the pear in your hand and apply pressure to
the region just below the stem. If the area
gives easily your pear is ready to eat! Asian
pears preserved in cold storage do not
require a ripening period upon removal.
Pears should be peeled before eating since
the peel often contains bitter components
that detract from the fine taste of the flesh.
At left: Horticulturist Megan Richards
uses a harvest bag and orchard ladder to
pick pears from Filolis espaliered trees.
Table 1: approximate first pick date, chill requirement, and ripening days
Cultivar
Bartlett
Belle Angevine
Beurr Bosc
Beurr Clairgeau
Beurr dAnjou
Beurr Hardy
Beurr Superfin
Clapps Favorite
Comice
Conference
Duchesse Bronzee
Jargonelle

Pick
7-30
8-25
9-1
9-1
8-25
8-18
8-20
8-11
9-1
10-15
8-11
9-1

Chill
0-14
28
28
28
28
21
28
14
28
35
28
28

Ripen
5-8
6-9
5-8
8-10
7-10
4-6
4-6
5-8
6-9
7-14
8-12
4-9

Cultivar
Packhams Triumph
Rescue
Seckel
Souvenir du Congres
White Doyenne
Winter Nelis

Pick
9-8
7-24
8-25
8-1
8-25
10-1

Chill
28
28
28
0-14
28
28

Ripen
7-14
4-9
5-8
5-8
6-8
5-10

Asian Pears
Chojuro
Dan Bae
Shin Li Nashi
Hosui

9-1
9-10
9-10
9-1

0
0
0
0

NA
NA
NA
NA

References & Further Reading:

Beutel, J. (1988). Asian Pears. University of California, Davis.
1986-2011 Filoli pear harvest, chilling and ripening records: Jonathan Tolmach.
Flores, B. (2000). The Great Book of Pears. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.
Otto, S. (1993). The Back Yard Orchardist: A complete guide to growing fruit trees in the home
garden. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.
Savonen, C. When to Pick and How to Ripen Pears to Perfection. Oregon State University
Extension Service. Retrieved August 15, 2011 from
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/413

Filoli Gardeners Reference sheets are created by Filolis garden staff to answer common questions regarding
Filolis traditional horticultural practices.

FILOLI, 86 CAADA ROAD, WOODSIDE, CA 94062

(650) 364-8300
WWW.FILOLI.ORG
GRS Picking Pears by Gracy Carpenter, Filoli Apprentice.
GRS format designed and developed by Megan Richards, Filoli Apprentice.
2007 Filoli