Last of the Summer Fruit

I had hoped to recycle a previous blog title because we should all be doing more recycling. However, I couldn't think of anything so plumped for a popular UK TV programme because the last pears of the 2024 season reminded me of Nora Batty's wrinkled stockings.

Photo 1: Last of the 2024 Pear Crop (Feb 7th 2025)

The final nonad of pears from last season's crop was taken out of the fridge on February 7th 2025. They do look a bit wrinkly but were perfectly edible (and sweet) after peeling. We pick our pears in September (before fully ripe) and store in a refrigerator at around 4 ℃. We lost a good proportion of our 2023 crop because the fridge was too cold. Commercially, pears are stored at around 0 ℃ but we find this is too cold for our Comice and Concorde fruit. Remove pears from the fridge a day or two before you need them.

The 2021 crop lasted into the following January whereas we ate the final pears from the 2024 crop in early February.

Pears are a natural laxative so it is best not to overdo it unless you are constipated. They are an excellent source of fibre and contain a good range of vitamins and minerals, though not at particularly high levels.