Ripening Instructions

Winter Pears

To ripen Bosc and Anjou pears, place them in a brown paper bag and fold the top down. This increases the ethylene concentration and speeds ripening. (Ethlyene is a gas naturally produced by ripening fruit.) You can speed the ripening of the pears by putting a banana or apple in the bag with the pears as these fruits produce more ethylene than pears do. Ripening will take about 3-5 days at room temperature. Since Bosc and Anjou pears do not change color when they ripen, check pears for ripeness by gently pressing the stem end – (“Check the neck”). When the pears yield slightly, they are sweet and juicy and ready to eat. You may place the ripe pears back in the refrigerator to delay further ripening.