Buying Pears

Treat your family to a delicious low-calorie fruit.

Pears are good choices for dessert. Their sweet flavor is low in calories about 70 in a medium-sized pear. They're also good on cereal or in fruit salads. Pears can be stewed, pickled or glazed, too.

Buying Pears

Don't choose pears according to their color. Color isn't a reliable guide to their ripeness. Some varieties are in prime condition when they're green or greenish-yellow. Others may be yellow and not ripe enough to eat.

Off tree ripened best

Unlike many fruits, pears must be ripened off the tree for best flavor and texture. Pears in stores are usually conditioned to be one to three days from ripeness, so buy pears about three days before you want to eat them.

Select fresh pears that are firm or fairly firm, but not hard. Look for well-shaped fruit that is free of blemishes.

The paper bag trick

Keep fresh pears in a paper bag. Store them in a not-too-warm place, preferably about 60 to 70 degrees. Keep them in a paper bag because ripening pears give off gases which help each other ripen. A small damp sponge or cotton pad tucked in the bag will supply moisture and help prevent shriveling .

If you want to hold pears, refrigerate them as soon as possible after purchase. Take them out to ripen two or three days before needed. Check pears daily. Some ripen faster than others. Bartletts, in particular, ripen fast and are ready for eating when the skin is golden.

Pears are good choices for dessert. Their sweet flavor is low in calories about 70 in a medium-sized pear. They're also good on cereal or in fruit salads. Pears can be stewed, pickled or glazed, too.

For more information on buying pears; contact you local county Extension office.