The buzz on Bartlett pears
Bartletts launch pear season in California each summer. The Bartlett is a climacteric fruit, like an avocado or a banana, which means the fruit does not ripen on the tree. You can buy a tree-ripened peach, but you will never find a tree-ripened Bartlett pear. These pears are picked when they are fully mature; farmers check the brix or sugar levels. That can be tricky. On a really hot summer day, the pear may reach the minimum desired sugar level in the morning, but the heat will chase the sugar back into the tree. It’s the tree’s way of protecting itself. When that happens, lateafternoon harvesting could yield fruit that is below the sugar minimum, which means those pears can’t be sold as whole fruit. They have to be sold for juice or canning.
The pears you buy at the market may be mature, but you’ll need to ripen that Bartlett at home. Place the pears in a single layer in a shoe box, put the lid on and check them every day. The Bartlett has its own cool color code that lets you know when it’s ready: As it ripens, the pear skin turns from grassy green to golden yellow in color.
Bartletts are arriving now from the Sacramento River District, just south of the capital, and just starting to come in from Lake County. You should find them retailing for 79 cents to $1.49 per pound. Handle them carefully. A Bartlett’s stem is thick, firm and pointy, so place each pear — don’t toss it — into your market bag, so the stem doesn’t poke the other fruit. Russet potatoes Kern County, Washington, Oregon 79 to 99 cents per pound
The new crop is being harvested so you may find moisture in the bags. Let the spuds air out so they dry and don’t decay.