Can you have perfect peaches and pears in January? Sure, if you ripen them at home. But do you know how to ripen pears? I have a foolproof plan!
I live in Montana, and it is really hard to get good produce anytime of the year, but it can be almost impossible in the winter. I learned a simple trick that works on peaches, pears, avocados, apricots, plums, and many other types of soft fruits.
- Go to the store and purchase firm(even hard) fruit that does NOT have squishy spots or scars. I try to get all the pieces I am buying about the same firmness and color.
- When you get the fruit home, immediately take the fruit out of the plastic bag, and put it in a brown paper sack. Just a plain bag with no wax coatings.
- Fold the top of the bag over like it was a lunch, and leave it set on the counter.
- Smell the bag daily. When the bag starts to smell like your fruit,
- Gently squeeze a piece of fruit through the bag.
- IF the fruit is tender, as it should be, it is time to eat fruit!
The peaches, pears, or whatever give off a gas as they ripen. The gas helps them to ripen evenly when it’s trapped in the bag. This trick has taken all the guess work out of buying fruit. You can’t impulse buy fruit this way, because it does take time, but the taste and texture of the fruit is SO good, it’s worth the wait. After about 3 days ( it could be more or less depending on the fruit) you will have perfect juicy, tender yet crisp fruit that is a joy to eat!
