On Sun, 5 Feb 2012 10:44:10 -0500, Way Back Jack >
wrote:

>They don't ripen. Talking about Anjous and, more recently, even Bartlett.
>
>It's not a matter of being picked too soon because pears don't need to hang
>from a tree to ripen. When they reach mature size is the time to pick and
>the ones in the grocery stores are mature size.
>
>Can't figure it out. Maybe I should squirt 'em with ethylene!

Pears are one of the few fruits that generally ripens from the inside
outwards, that's why they are typically harvested unripened, so that
they don't start to ripen, slip their stems and drop to the ground.
Since there are in excess of 3,000 varieties of pear worldwide (only
ten commercially grown in the US) many have different characteristics
and some tend to cross. Some varieties take a long time before their
exterior ripens... if you can easily pluck out the stem with your
teeth it's ripe... if your teeth pull out you'd best wait some. To
ripen pears at home place on their side on a towel on the countertop
in a single layer with none touching.