ᐉ How to ripen pears at home?

How to speed up the ripening process of pears?

At the neighbors' dacha, thieves stole all the pears and apples to avoid their fate. We picked our own pears, but they are still green, how can we speed up the process of their ripening?
Should I put them in a dark place or should I do something else? Green pears ripen very quickly outside the tree, and the ripening period is quite short. But not all fruits are suitable for indoor ripening. Only whole fruits without damage can be brought to the stage of ripeness; damaged fruits will not have time to ripen and will spoil earlier.

At room temperature, the fruits can ripen in 1-7 days, but for each pear the fruits ripen at different times:

To speed up the ripening process of pears, you can use assistants that emit ethylene. Ethylene is a chemical that speeds up the ripening of fruits. You need to put pears and a ripe banana in a paper bag; you can also put a ripe apple in the bag. You just need to keep an eye on the ripening, since the process can be very fast.

We check the degree of ripeness of pears by examining the stalk. If the fruit near the stalk has become softer, then the pears are ready to be eaten.

Pears are very healthy and delicious fruits, but you should only eat them when they are ripe. Therefore, if you have unripe specimens, then you need to make them ripen, and for this we speed up the ripening process. You need to know that pears ripen quickly enough when picked. To do this, the pears must be placed in a dark and cool place. In order for pears to ripen faster than in a week, they should be placed in a brown paper bag along with a ripe apple or banana.

Different varieties of pears take different times to ripen.

You can check the ripeness of a pear by pressing on the fruit with your fingers. It lends itself to touch. And the pear is soft at the base of the stalk.

It is very dangerous to let pears ripen, as they overripe very quickly and imperceptibly, and accordingly they spoil; you must constantly monitor them very carefully.

Pears ripen just like peaches and nectarines, you need to put the pears in a paper bag, it’s good if you also put bananas in this bag (you can also have apples), much more ethylene will be produced, and ethylene promotes rapid ripening.

Pears are one of the most delicious, aromatic, healthy fruits. They can be eaten just like that or used in compote, preserves, jam, jam, pie and cake filling, dessert in the oven made from pears with honey and nuts.

When pears are not quite ripe, they completely lose their taste. Why are they picked before they are ripe? Actually, they ripen in a cool place after they are taken from the tree. The pears ripen instantly: they were still unripe and are already falling off the branch. So, they are sometimes picked unripe and left to ripen.

How to make pears ripen faster? By the way, a pear is ripe if it has softened where its stalk is - this is already a ripe pear. Pears go from “unripe” to “ripe” quite quickly.

Valuable advice, instructions. Removed from the refrigerator, placed in a room at a temperature of 18.3 - 23.8 degrees. according to C. The longer the pear has been in a cold place before, the sooner it will ripen in the room. At this temperature for a period of one to seven days.

How quickly pears ripen directly depends on what variety they are. These features must be distinguished in order to know the ripening times of different varieties:

Unripe fruits

How to store pears so that they ripen?

Pears collected for storage should, in principle, be unripe .

However, if the fruits are completely unripe, or we are talking about late winter varieties, then storage is carried out in any way, with preliminary exposure at a temperature of 15-19 degrees.

At this temperature, pears ripen on their own, but this process must be closely monitored so that they do not overripe . After ripening, the ambient temperature must be reduced to the required level.

How to store pears so they ripen

The peculiarity of storing these fruits is that they are collected when they are not fully ripe. They ripen at home or on store shelves.

To ripen pears, prepare:

The fruits are inspected.
Whole and undamaged ones are laid out in a room with an air temperature of about +18...+20 °C in one layer.
Leave for 2-5 days. The exact period depends on the variety and speed of ripening. For this period, ensure a temperature regime not exceeding +5 °C.

Advice! To speed up ripening, pears are placed next to other fruits: apples or bananas. The release of chemical elements activates the process.

Storage time and temperature

If all requirements are met and the varieties are chosen correctly, pears can be stored for 5 to 7 months.

The main conditions are:

temperature range from 0 to +3 °C;
average air humidity up to 90%.

A long storage period with preservation of taste is only suitable for winter varieties. Early ripe pears are not stored for more than 1 month.

Important information! Cut pears can be stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days, provided they are kept separately in the fruit section.

Recipe for simple jam from unripe pears

Pear – 1.2 kg;
Sugar – 750 g;
Water – 500 ml;
A slice of lemon or apple cider vinegar.

How to make delicious jam from unripe pears

To prevent unripe fruits from disappearing, you can make delicious jam. Not many people know that green pear jam turns out to be a pleasant pink shade. For this you need to take one kilogram of already processed pears. Since the core with seeds needs to be removed from them and cut into slices, the initial quantity of whole pears should be a little more than a kilogram. Pear varieties with thin skin do not need to be peeled. To prevent the sliced pears from darkening, they are immediately immersed in water, to which a small amount of lemon juice or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar has been added to acidify.

After this, clean water must be heated to a boil and slices of unripe pears must be added to it. Bring the contents to a boil again and cook in boiling water for a quarter of an hour.

Drain all the liquid from the pears and separate 200 ml from it.

From the decoction in which the pears were boiled and granulated sugar you need to prepare a syrup. Pour them over the pears. Boil them in syrup for 10 - 15 minutes and cool.

After 7 - 8 hours, reheat the jam from unripe pears and cook for about half an hour.

If the jam was prepared for long-term storage, it is placed hot in jars and covered with metal lids.

For shorter storage, you can close the jars with nylon lids. Green pear jam is suitable for drinking tea and for filling homemade cakes.

To prevent unripe fruits from disappearing, you can make delicious jam. Not many people know that green pear jam turns out to be a pleasant pink shade. For this you need to take one kilogram of already processed pears. Since the core with seeds needs to be removed from them and cut into slices, the initial quantity of whole pears should be a little more than a kilogram. Pear varieties with thin skin do not need to be peeled. To prevent the sliced pears from darkening, they are immediately immersed in water, to which a small amount of lemon juice or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar has been added to acidify.

Storage space

The following premises meet the requirements for storing pears:

semi-basement rooms;
closets;
storerooms;
unheated living rooms.

The percentage of preserved fruit increases when choosing containers made from natural dry materials and proper processing of fruits and premises.

Important! To store pear tree fruits, it is important to sanitize the rooms in order to destroy the fungus.

In a refrigerator

This method has its advantages and disadvantages:

The temperature should remain within the limits of +1...+5 °C. When placing pears in bags, several holes are made in them to ensure air flow.

The fruits are inspected daily, rotten and damaged ones are removed.

On the balcony

This method is only suitable during periods when there are no sub-zero temperatures on the balcony. Pears are not frost-resistant; at low temperatures they freeze, become watery and lose their taste.

Saving on an insulated balcony involves the use of containers with sand or boxes covered with additional materials. In winter, when temperatures drop to -35°C, it is recommended to change the location.

Pears in a cellar

When storing pears in the basement, a number of requirements are observed:

boxes or containers with fruit are raised above ground level (the established minimum is 20 cm);
placed on racks or shelves;
do not allow coexistence with vegetable crops;
each fruit is separately wrapped in parchment;
Small holes are made in boxes or containers to allow air to enter.

Varieties suitable for long-term storage

Much depends on the variety of pears. Most often, hybrid species bred for regions with unfavorable weather conditions exhibit resistance.

Autumn varieties

The collection period begins in September and lasts 2 weeks . Autumn-type varieties are stored for about 1.5 months if all requirements are met. Pears are characterized by a high sugar content, which makes them juicier and sweeter.

Veles

The pears will be ripe by the beginning of autumn. Ripe fruits are orange in color with red spots on the sides. The average weight reaches 150 g. There are 3 or 4 fruits on the branches.

In terms of productivity, the variety belongs to the average type. Trees of this variety require annual autumn pruning. The fruits are highly frost-resistant.

Bere Moscow

This hybrid is recommended for storage in an unripe form. In early autumn, when one side becomes slightly red, the fruits are removed. Trees of the variety are resistant to low temperatures and infection by parasites.

Duchess

The hybrid obtained as a result of selective pollination has revealed shortcomings that do not allow it to be grown in the regions of Siberia and the Urals. The variety is not resistant to frost and temperature changes.

The weight of the fruits reaches 200 g, their sugar content does not exceed 13%. These hybrids are well transported and stored, maintaining their taste.

What to do to keep pears for a long time

To keep pears for a long time, place the unwashed fruit in the refrigerator . The fruits will retain their taste from 2 weeks to 1.5 months, depending on the variety. It is important that the pears are kept separate from other products, for example in a clean tray.

Storage temperature - from 0°C to +5°C. Fruits are inspected daily for signs of rotting or stains. Damaged ones are thrown away.

If the thermometer is not below 0°C, then pears are stored on the balcony. At the same time, make sure that there is no frost at night - because of this, the fruits become tasteless and watery.

Some people place unripe pears in the freezer. There they are stored for 7 to 12 months. Housewives select ripe fruits, wash them and remove the core. Next, chop into strips 2 cm wide and leave to dry, after which they are placed in a sealed food bag and put into a chamber.

Attention! To ensure that the fruit retains its color, it is treated with lemon juice before freezing.

If there is a cellar or basement, then the fruits are stored there. To do this, prepare wooden boxes - they are placed at a distance of 20 cm from the floor. The room should be cool, dark and well ventilated.

It is recommended to put the basement in order - remove dirt and mold, disinfect it. Each fruit is wrapped in newspaper and placed in a box. Cover the top with cotton cloth.

Rules for collecting and preparing pears for winter storage

Harvesting depends on whether the fruit belongs to a particular variety. Early ripening hybrids are not suitable for long-term storage, so they are not recommended when planning long-term savings.

A change in color is considered a signal that the fruit is ready to be picked from the trees. The green skin of the pear changes color to orange, reddish or yellow. This depends on the variety chosen. This fruit has a characteristic aroma and becomes softer.

To remove fruits, choose clear, dry weather. With high humidity after prolonged rains, there is a high probability that the harvest will be spoiled.

Tips for long-term storage

To increase the chances of preserving pears, it is recommended to adhere to a number of rules:

after inspecting the harvest, ripe fruits are removed separately from unripe ones;
it is recommended to store pears in small batches to allow access to fruits that are beginning to rot and the possibility of quick inspection;
the stalk, which is not cut during harvesting, helps to preserve the harvest; when placing the fruits, it is left in the upper position;
It is recommended to maintain twilight in the room where the container with fruit is located.

What to do if the harvest begins to deteriorate

Creating optimal conditions allows you to save pears in most cases, but external circumstances often lead to the fact that the harvest begins to deteriorate.

If rotting has formed on 1-2 fruits and has not had time to spread further, then such spoiled fruits are immediately removed.

The room is ventilated, the remaining pears are transferred to fresh layers of paper, sprinkled with a new portion of sand, and the containers are changed.

If a large number of fruits are affected, a processing method is chosen and jams, jams, and compotes are prepared from them. Used for salads.

How to make pear jam from unripe pears?

First you need to do some preparation. Small immature specimens are taken whole, large ones are cut into slices. Remove the skin and remove the seeds. The jam can then be prepared in different ways:

Method 1

The fruits are poured with water, allowed to boil for 5 minutes (blanched), filtered. Before blanching, you can soak the fruits in a solution of citric acid diluted in a ratio of 1 gram per liter of water.

Sugar syrup is prepared from the decoction (for 1 kg of fruit, 1 liter of water and 0.5-1 kg of sugar).

Place the fruits in an enamel bowl, add syrup and cook over low heat until tender (the slices should become light-colored). Place the jam in jars and roll up. When cooking, you can add vanillin to the syrup.

Method 2

For 1.5 kg of pear slices without skin and seeds: 1 kg of sugar, lemon, cinnamon stick, vanillin. Sprinkle the prepared fruits with sugar and let it brew for 3 hours. Add washed and sliced lemon, put on the stove and boil for 5 minutes, stirring. Cool and let sit for 8 hours.

Method 3

Prepare the fruit as described above. Add water to just cover the fruits and cook until soft. Put sugar in a basin (1.5 kg per 1 kg of fruit), pour 2 tbsp. broth, stir, let it boil. Place pears in syrup and cook until tender.

Method 4

For 3 kg of pears: 0.65 kg of sugar, 1 lemon, 1 tbsp. walnuts. Place the prepared fruits in a bowl, sprinkling with sugar (0.5 kg). Cover and let steep. Sprinkle the nuts with sugar (150 g), and let it brew.

The next day, mix the pears (their juice will be released) with nuts, add the juice of ½ lemon. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, leave for 2 hours.

Add the juice of the remaining half of the lemon, stir, and bring to a boil again. Boil for five minutes, pouring the syrup over the slices. Let it sit for two hours, then let it boil again.

How to store pears

Pears are healthy and tasty fruits. They are less popular than apples, but only because they are more difficult to grow and store.

The number of minerals and vitamins that are hidden in the fragrant pear is in the dozens. The fruits contain a lot of fiber, which helps normalize intestinal motility.

Fructose, which gives pears their sweetness, makes them a healthy and desirable fruit for people suffering from pancreatic problems.

Experts say that pears improve immunity. The fruits also act as antidepressants, capable of improving not only physical but also mental well-being and giving a good mood.

How can one, having such information, not try to ensure that such a treasure is present on the table as often as possible?

How to store pears to ripen

Pears intended for further storage must be collected at the stage of technical maturity, when their green color disappears and the fruit is just beginning to turn red or turn yellow.

It is better to bring completely unripe fruits to the desired condition:

Place the pears in a room with a temperature of 18 to 20 degrees.
Leave the fruits for one to five days. The specific period of time depends on the speed of ripening of the pears.
Check the condition of the fruit twice a day.
Move slightly unripe pears to a cool room with a temperature of no more than five degrees.

What determines the shelf life of the crop?

How long pears will be stored depends on the varietal characteristics of the fruit and whether they were picked correctly and on time:

You need to pick pears that are slightly unripe; if they ripen on the tree and fall on their own, they are not suitable for storage. Such fruits can be eaten immediately or made into juice, compote, jam, jam or dried fruits.
If the fruit's stem holds well and does not come off, then it has reached technical maturity and can be picked from the tree.
Pears intended for long-term storage are best collected by hand to avoid damage.
Summer varieties are suitable for fresh consumption and processing.

Rules for collecting pears for storage

How long pears can be preserved depends on how they were picked correctly. If the fruits are purchased, you cannot influence how they were picked from the tree.

But when cleaning on your own, you should remember the following rules:

There is no need to wait until the fruit is completely ripe. Such pears will simply fall on their own, and then damage is inevitable. The fruits will have to be consumed immediately, since they cannot be stored.
Pears are collected by hand. It doesn't hurt to wear thin fabric gloves. To remove fruits that are too high on the tree, a special device called a fruit picker is suitable.
Even slight damage is dangerous for pears. From a slight blow they begin to deteriorate. To protect the integrity of the pears, they need to be carefully placed in a small bucket or basket, the bottom of which is covered with several layers of soft fabric.

Summer varieties cannot be preserved for long. It is better to eat them fresh or, if there is a lot of fruit, make preparations for the winter in the form of jam, preserves or compote.

Autumn varieties are denser, so these are the fruits that should be left for the winter.

How to properly remove pears from a tree

How to keep pears fresh for the winter at home. Any fruit (for example, apple trees) intended for long-term storage is collected in such a way as not to disturb the waxy coating on the surface skin and to prevent mechanical damage.

This is interesting: The sweetest and juiciest pear varieties

Gardeners have developed a special technology for removing pears from tree branches. The fruits are eaten in calm, warm weather; there should be no droplets of moisture on the surface of the leaves and fruits. Cloth gloves are put on your hands.

Work begins from the bottom of the tree, gradually rising from the lower branches to the upper ones. The pear is grasped with the entire palm so that there is no pressure on individual points of the fruit. After this, using your fingers, separate the petiole of the fruit from the tree branch.

Pears at the stage of removable ripeness are easily separated from the branch. The fruits do not need to be pulled off or twisted around the axis so as not to damage the tree branch.

How to keep pears fresh for the winter at home. Whole, well-preserved pears are placed in boxes in a vertical position. The stalks should remain at the top of the fruit. If raspberries grow near a tree, take care of thick clothing.

The pears are placed on the bases of the fruits; the dried petals of the inflorescences are left on them in a residual form. Containers without lids for storing pears must be dry, clean, and have small ventilation holes in the walls.

Long-term storage of pears - preparation

An important component of preparing pears for storage is the choice of containers. Plastic and wooden boxes and baskets are suitable. The surface should be smooth and the bottom should be soft. It is advisable to line the walls of the container with paper.

wrap in thin and soft paper;
spread in a maximum of three layers;
lay diagonally;
turn the stalks so that they do not touch, but fall into the spaces between the fruits.

Each layer of fruit is also covered with paper. It can be replaced with shavings from soft deciduous wood, maple and oak leaves, and moss.

Many people prefer to use sand. This is done like this:

The bottom of the container is covered with paper.
Heated sand is poured on top in a small layer.
The pears are laid out diagonally.
A layer of sand is poured on top. Then pears and sand alternate. The top layer of fruit is filled to the top with it. The sand prevents air from penetrating into the pears, which means they will last longer.

Fruits that are unripe, with a stalk, and without scratches or dents are suitable for storage. Fruits with a defect can rot not only on their own, but also infect neighboring ones. Therefore, you need to carefully inspect each fruit before placing it in the box.

Small unripe pears - what to do?

Marinate. The thing is absolutely amazing with meat and you can eat it just like that.

We pickled pears according to this recipe, only with less sugar.

Recipe from the book by I. Khmelevskaya Everyone knows pears, but only very few know how delicious pickled pears are. Small bergamot pears, firm and crispy, look best in the marinade. But this story happened to me. Among natural disasters there is such as an excessively harvested year. I believe that gardeners are very familiar with this curse, when you can’t figure out where to put surplus agricultural products. I also had a small garden plot, and suddenly my nondescript Klaps pear began to produce unprecedented harvests. Crazy and non-stop, and for several years in a row, she gave me such a burst of pears that I no longer knew what to do with it. I handed it out left and right, my acquaintances even began to avoid me, fearing that I would again make them happy with pears. I didn’t know how to organize transportation to the city and sale at the market; at that time I didn’t even have a car, not to mention free time. Klapsa, as you know, is not a winter pear and does not last long. So, out of complete despair, I decided to start processing the pear, or rather, pickle it. All my fingers were covered in calluses and cuts from peeling the damned pear, because only hard pears go into the marinade, and ones that are already soft are no good. For the pear, I used up all the glass jars in the house and the entire supply of sugar, which would have lasted me for ten years, considering that I basically don’t use sugar. During the pickling process, I listened to more radio programs than I had ever heard in my entire previous life, because the process was very labor-intensive, and only my ears remained free from it. The result was impressive. Now I will describe the process.

Pour a glass of strong vinegar and a glass of water into the pan, add a kilogram of sugar, put it on the fire and wait until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring from time to time. Add a little cinnamon, a pinch of cloves and two kilograms of pear, peeled, peeled and cored, and cut into quarters. Let simmer over low heat until the pear becomes translucent. Remove pear pieces from the pan as they are ready, because not all pears ripen evenly and at the same time. Push them into jars, fill them with syrup and screw on the lids while everything is hot.

This is how it is done, and to be precise, it should be done. Alas, there is always excess syrup left over, so I made an improvement to the marinating recipe. I didn’t limit myself to the prescribed two kilograms of pear, but added as much as would fit into the pan. And three kilos, and three and a half, and it also turned out great. And sometimes she got so excited that she poured a glass of granulated sugar into the same syrup and added half a glass of a mixture of vinegar and water. And it also turned out well, only in this case it is necessary to pay special attention, because during the second pass the brew tended to burn and turn into caramel. For those who want to guarantee long-term storage of the resulting marinade, you can use the same proportion as when making jam - a kilogram of sugar per kilogram of pear and a glass of water with vinegar (half water and vinegar). But I wouldn’t recommend counting on the delicacy being left behind. It is usually eaten by households first. Pickled pear goes with everything: goose, turkey, chicken, chops and other cutlets, pancakes and kleps, it is also good in rolls and meatballs. As you can see, to everything. Well, maybe it’s not suitable for scrambled eggs or herring. Mirabelle pears can be pickled in the same way, although the latter will boil too quickly. Not bad either, it turns out to be a tasty pickled mush. Of course, the pear is first doused with boiling water, cleaned and the core removed. There is no need to cut into pieces: when you take out the seeds, the pear falls apart on its own.

Marinate. The thing is absolutely amazing with meat and you can eat it just like that.