Small ripe pears

[Tony F Dordogne]

I'm helping a chum re-establish his orchard and yesterday came across two pear trees, both laden with ripe pears - but they are tiny, not a lot bigger than a small/medium size egg.

The chums have been here 4 years and its the first year the trees have fruited - any ideas which type they may be?

Absolute b*****s to peel but only take 10 mins to poach in white wine syrup - lots more for the freezer.

[Pads]

there is a small breed called butter pears , they also grow on small trees? normally small breeds are used for perry (like cider but made from pears)

sorry  dont have a picture

regards

[andyh4]

I'm surprised any pear is ripe at this time of the year.

 

Are you picking these from the tree or from the ground?

 

If the latter then it is normal for fruit trees to shed a lot of small fruit at this time of year (apples, pears, plums all do it).  Put simply the tree tries its best to create seed.  So it has probably 10 times more blossom than you end up with fruit setting, as the fruit develops if there is too much the tree drops a significant quantity of immature fruit (maybe even twice as much as you are left with), so that the remeinder can grow to full size without too much stress.  This is known often as the June or July drop.

The built in redindancy means that in the autumn there should be some fruit left in good condition with some lovely ripe seeds so that the tree can propergate.  And then along comes man a picks the *****er.  Start again next spring.

 

[Tony F Dordogne]

The pears were on the tree and fully ripe so they appear not to be the victims of the 'June drop' - if they were we wouldn't have touched them so it appears they are the butter pears.

Had some last evening, OH had my home made choc sauce with cardomon with them, wonderful both ways.