Content
It would seem that harvesting pome crops is the most pleasant and simplest of gardening jobs. And what could be so complicated about that? Picking pears and apples is a pleasure. The fruits are large and dense, it is impossible to accidentally crush them; in 5-10 minutes you can fill a bucket or basket. Yes, and there is no need to bow, loading your back, tired from the season of garden work.
But it turns out that not everything is so simple. Pears need to be able to be collected and properly prepared for storage, otherwise they will not last long. Juices, wine and jams made from fruits harvested at the wrong time will be tasteless and will leave a lot of waste. This is not to say that this is a whole science, but it will be useful to have a cheat sheet on hand.
Stages of pear ripeness
Some varieties of pears are harvested after reaching consumer ripeness, others - when they are removable. If the fruits go into processing, they are picked at the stage of technical maturity.To preserve pears for as long as possible, to make high-quality juice, wine or jam, you need to clearly understand what the difference between these concepts is.
Technical maturity
The stage when the fruits become ready for processing. This is the earliest stage of maturity of pome crops, when juice yield is maximum. When technically ripe, the seeds just begin to turn dark. The fruits of even early varieties are somewhat bland, but not tasteless.
Removable (botanical) maturity
It occurs when the process of fruit growth and the accumulation of reserve substances in it - sugars, vitamins, minerals, pectins, starch - enters the final stage. A cork layer forms between the shoot and the stalk; the fruit is easily separated from the branches. The seed ripening process ends. Fruits that have reached this stage may ripen during storage.
Consumer maturity
The time when fruit acquires the taste, color, density and aroma characteristic of a particular variety. The nutrient content reaches its maximum. The pears are ready for immediate consumption.
Full physiological maturity
Accumulative processes in fruits stop and beneficial substances begin to disintegrate. Starch in pears is completely absent, the pulp loses its juiciness, becomes mushy and tasteless.
Such fruits are not eaten; they are brought to the stage of full physiological ripeness only if it is necessary to obtain seeds that have ripened in the best possible way. On private farms, it makes no sense to bring pears to this state.
How to determine the ripeness of pears
Most varieties intended for storage and fresh consumption are harvested at the stage of removable ripeness. But how to determine it?
A reliable method for determining the ripeness of pears, suitable for any climate and different weather conditions, has not yet been found. Moreover, they are looking for it mainly for use in industrial gardening. There, harvesting is not such a burdensome task. From 40 to 60% of the time spent on cultivation is spent on eating fruits, and mainly manual labor is used. If the harvest time is incorrectly determined, the losses will be colossal.
The following methods have been invented to determine the stage of removable maturity:
- according to changes in the outer color of fruits, there is even a color scale created separately for each variety;
- iodine-starch method proposed by N. A. Tseluiko, based on changing the amount of starch in pears at different stages of ripeness;
- the connection between the flowering period and the onset of removable maturity, which turned out to be absolutely inapplicable in the conditions of the countries of the former Soviet Union (due to weather fluctuations, our error is 20-40 days);
- determining the degree of ripeness by seed color;
- measuring the strength of pulp; in America, a special device was even created - a penetrometer;
- calculating the total temperature required for the ripening of pears of each variety separately;
- determination of the degree of ripeness based on the difference in the content of soluble and dry components, ethylene, and chlorophyll in fruits, all of which were calculated for each variety;
- statistics of fruit harvesting times in previous years.
Just listing the methods for determining the degree of maturity took up a lot of space, but none of them are reliable! For each of the points, after detailed instructions, you can add a dozen clauses, each of which begins with the words “if” or “but”.
It would seem that if even in industrial gardening they cannot determine the exact time of harvest, then what should amateurs do? Some may be surprised, but it is on private farms, where there are no certified biologists and highly paid consultants, that the fruits are harvested at a time close to optimal.
Experience, knowledge and intuition are equally important here. An amateur gardener monitors his own garden every year, knows his land and the conditions for growing trees. Harvesting occurs when:
- the fruits are easily removed from the tree;
- the seeds turn dark;
- summer and autumn pears acquire the color, taste and smell characteristic of the variety;
- A waxy coating forms on the fruits of winter and late autumn varieties.
Naturally, it is necessary to take into account the harvest dates in previous years and collect information for the future.
What determines the ripening time of pears?
When reading the previous chapter, many questions arise. They all boil down to the following: why are the methods developed by scientists for determining the degree of ripeness of fruits not always reliable? The fact is that too many external factors interfere with theoretical research. For example, counting total temperatures and the relationship between the timing of pear ripening and flowering time work ideally in California. The climate there is even and easily predictable, unlike in Russia, where the error in different years can be more than a month.
The ripening time of pears of the same variety growing in the same area in different years can be affected by:
- damage to wood by low temperatures in winter;
- late spring;
- cold or too hot summer;
- amount of precipitation or irrigation;
- degree of illumination of the tree;
- soil composition;
- the degree of load of the tree with fruits;
- feeding intensity;
- on the periphery, fruits ripen faster than inside the crown, especially in tall trees;
- plant damage by diseases and pests.
Even novice gardeners know that in different regions the same variety is harvested at different times.
When to pick pears
There are more than 5 thousand varieties of pears, differing in terms of ripening. To determine the time of harvest, you must first decide where the fruits will go - for fresh consumption, storage or processing. Moreover, you need to remember that early varieties are unsuitable for storage, and late varieties are not eaten immediately after being picked from the tree.
Why pears need to be picked on time
When harvesting, you need to know the period for picking the fruits. Summer and autumn pear varieties need to be picked within 4-7 days. In winter, the collection period is longer - from 8 to 15 days. Without delay, you need to remove quickly crumbling fruits, otherwise they will fall off on their own and be damaged. On tall trees, pear picking begins at the periphery - there they ripen faster.
Untimely harvesting of fruits negatively affects their keeping quality and quality, and in some cases can damage the tree.
If you rush to harvest:
- pears are stored worse;
- the quality of the fruits will be inferior, since they will not have time to accumulate all possible useful and aromatic substances;
- the peel of pears picked early turns brown more often and more than those picked on time;
- the harvest will be smaller, since just before the onset of removable ripeness, the size of the fruit increases by 1-2% per day;
- if pears are picked too early, during storage they will not be able to acquire the characteristic color of the variety and will remain green;
- late varieties do not have time to become covered with a waxy coating, the fruits quickly lose moisture and nutrients and wither.
Consequences of late harvest:
- losses from fruit falling;
- deterioration in transportability;
- decreased shelf life, overripe pears are poorly stored;
- in some varieties the pulp becomes mealy;
- overripe fruits are more susceptible to disease during storage;
- late varieties may be subject to frost;
- in overripe fruits the amount of nutrients decreases;
- overripe pears become too soft, they are easily damaged when picking the fruit, and during storage in most varieties the so-called rotten effect occurs;
- Harvesting at a late date has a negative impact on the next year’s harvest, as it leads to a decrease in the number of flower buds being formed;
- delays in harvesting do not give trees enough time to prepare for winter, which weakens them and reduces winter hardiness and frost resistance (these are different things).
When to collect pears for processing
The preparations are made from pears of summer and early autumn varieties. They are picked at the stage of technical maturity, when the juice content in the fruit reaches its maximum.
Ripe fruits lose their shape when canned. When preparing juice and wine, they do not release enough liquid. Green pears are too hard and tasteless, completely devoid of flavor. At the stage of technical ripeness, the fruits just reach the “golden mean” - they are as juicy as possible, the taste and aroma, although they have not reached their peak, are already expressed.
Harvesting pears depending on ripening time
According to the time of ripening, pear varieties are usually divided into summer, autumn and winter. They differ in terms of harvesting and storage, readiness for fresh consumption, and use for processing.
The shelf life mentioned below is indicated for conditions that you can create yourself. In special industrial-type storage facilities, pears are kept much longer.
When to Harvest Summer Varieties
In summer pears, ripening in July-August, the consumer ripeness coincides with harvest, they are ready for immediate consumption. Only on farms the harvest is harvested several days earlier in order to have time to deliver the fruits to retail chains or markets. They reach consumer ripeness during transportation.
During harvest, summer pears acquire the color, taste and aroma characteristic of the variety. The fruits are easily removed from the tree. The bones are dark colored.
Summer varieties are not intended for storage. Even if suitable conditions are provided, they will not lie there for more than 10-15 days. Only some varieties can be stored for 1-2 months.
It is summer pears that are most often processed because they are impossible to eat before they spoil. True, fruits intended for harvesting must be harvested at technical maturity.
When to collect autumn varieties
Mid-ripening pears, which are harvested from mid-August to the end of September, are usually divided into early autumn and late autumn varieties. The former are closer in quality to summer ones, the latter are similar to winter ones.
Early autumn varieties are usually harvested at the end of the harvest stage or upon reaching consumer maturity. These phases may coincide or differ by several days. Pears are consumed immediately and stored for no longer than 1-2 months. They are often processed, but then the harvest is carried out at technical maturity.
Late autumn varieties are harvested upon reaching removable ripeness. They will be ready for use in 2-4 weeks, stored for 1.5-3 months. Such pears are rarely processed, as they remain fresh until the New Year.
When to collect winter varieties of pears for storage
Winter pears are harvested from the end of September at the stage of removable ripeness. Even the latest varieties must be removed from the tree before frost begins, since negative temperatures sharply reduce their keeping quality.
Winter pears reach consumer maturity during storage, after 3-4 weeks. If you pick a fruit from a tree and eat it, it is impossible to recognize the real taste. This is why many gardeners complain: “I can’t find a good winter pear variety.” The variety may have been wonderful, they just ate it at the wrong time. Yes, such a pear will definitely be juicy, most likely sweet, but unappetizing. She was simply not allowed to ripen, to gain aroma and taste.
When properly stored, winter varieties last 3-6 months. Their cleaning period is the longest.
Harvesting Rules
Pears are harvested in dry weather after the dew has disappeared. You can’t pick fruits in the rain or after it while the fruits are wet - they won’t last long and will most likely develop fruit rot.
Pears intended for storage must be picked carefully - without pressing, together with the stalk. Late varieties, covered with a waxy coating, are collected with gloves - this way there is less chance of disturbing the natural protective layer. Do not pull down, tug or unscrew the pears. This will cause the stem to break or remain on the tree along with part of the fruit.
To prevent pears from falling, first remove the fruits located on the lower branches, then move to the middle and top of the tree. On spreading specimens they go from the periphery to the center.
When harvesting late varieties of pears, you may not have time to freeze. Then you should not rush to remove the fruits, you need to let them thaw naturally on the tree. Such pears will be stored much shorter than those that were collected on time; they need to be eaten quickly.
Conclusion
Pears need to be picked carefully and on time, especially late varieties intended for storage. The most difficult thing is to choose the right time for harvesting fruits; only experience and careful attention to the garden will help here.
