Pears are driving me crazy this year. I've been harvesting them in fits and starts without confidence the sugar is adequately developed even as the trees drop fruit. It is one species whose quality is not great this season along with my Honey Crisp apples which are finally reasonably sweet- at least those that didn't drop from the trees as beautiful bland things starting the first week of Sept.

Harrow sweet is not great- the skin seems thicker than I remember and the Sheldons don't have the sugar. The Seckels and Boscs are the superior pears this year- so far. Hopefully the pears I have room for in the fridge will sweeten and mellow by way of more conventional ripening- a month in the fridge and softening at room temp.

Right now I've been picking many of them either off the tree ripe or nearly so and then setting them on the porch for about a week to soften and mellow.

I can't understand what it is about this season that has some varieties and species of fruit ripening so late and others at a normal time. I expect some variations in sequence but I've no clue why the pears have ripened as late as they have- not compared to last year which had an absurdly early spring, but compared to years where spring started around the same time as this one.

Fruit in not uniformly late, but spread out with some pears ripening way before other pears in the same tree.

We haven't had as many really hot summer days as normal but I would think all the clear sunny days would have more than compensated for that. Certainly I've seen cooler summers that didn't affect time of ripening that I'm seeing this year.

There is also some unique insect damage on some pears with dark marks on the skin and bitter flesh near these wounds. Maybe these are BMS wounds, although I've only seen a few green stink bugs on fruit. The beemers are mostly in my house.

Mark - Good to know about the GOLDEN SPICE. I just planted a small one this year.

My john Dropped its fruit a week ago. The previous pears ive eaten off of the tree had a very acidic flavor, not much different from unripe apples. I have been pickng a fruit every week since. They first one just got softened up.

My Honeygold apples werent left on the tree long enough. Now I know they wont be ripe untill the beginning of october. The skins were thick and the apple was sweeter closer to the skin then the core. Definitely unripe - But I can tell you the flavor of these guys will be amazing once I get a good fruit set and let them ripen!

HM - I am wondering if it has nothing to do with this season, and everything to do with last year, which wasnt the easiest on plants. Some may just be delayed in showing so.....

The few tennesee pears I had were picked on 9/15 and just ate a couple. They are the most fragrant pear I've been around. My bartletts finally came through and were a success. I had been dreading the timing of picking 8/24, but they had turned a lighter green and turned out superb. I prefer them not so soft.
Hosui was fantastic, with glowing golden beauties that gushed syrup. Yoinashi also excellent, less juicy than Hosui, but a broader base flavor, crunchy and sweet too. Chojuro, I should have left on another week, but the CM prefered it to others, so when I saw black marks on the exposed sides and holes leading all the way to the core.
I also harvested collette and though smaller than bartlett, its coloration, and flavor favors it.

Canada, I hadn't even considered the affect of last years weather. Very astute suggestion- thanks.

I love contemplating the unfathomable behavior of fruit trees. I'm thinking now about how last season's hard late frosts would affect the development of the flowers that season. It seems as though, if it caused a more spread out harvest it would have also created a bloom that has a similar long spread- which wasn't the case, as I recall.

Unfathomable for me, at least.

My Golden Spice is still on the tree, ..nice little pear.

>>Honeygold apples werent left on the tree long enoughCanadian..
Usually,...when the first one's drop, it will be a indication that the rest should come down soon, every place, fruit can ripen at different times each year.

HM - TO my knowledge soe plants can express stress a season or 2 after the fact. Most of the US had a really early warm up, then hard ffrost, then a long dry growing season (although i dont think you were quite as dry in the NE). I would think that would tire the trees. If the winter and spring plays nice this year, im sure the trees should be ok next year.

Konrad - great advice. That is why i picked them. There were only 2, and it is a young tree which Im expecting to start producing next year. Ill have some grafts around the yard too, so better pollination... Since there were only 2, I didnt wait for them to drop. Its definitely a later season apple, there are some trees that dropped a month ago here.

Can, trees are not stressed by late frosts that kill blossoms but not leaf buds, at least not physically- I'm sure they were as emotionally devastated and stressed out as I was- they just have difficulty expressing their feelings.

Hee Hee.

Anyway, trees actually consistently put out more flowers and fruit the year after they are barren and also grow more shoot and wood when not making babies- you probably already know this, of course.

The frosts we had did no damage to vegetative buds as far as I could tell. No deformed leaves or anything like that.

Overall, this was the best year for fruit here in memory. Just the pears haven't been that great in my own orchard although they cropped well.

I was more thinking of the really early warm spell in 2012, then the drop in temps which followed. I know it can stress out non fruiting trees here (like the ash in front of my house). I wouldnt think of any long term damage of course, but I cant see it doing nothing to the tree.

It is odd that it is only the pears.... They seem to be a bit more resiliant to stress in my limited experience with them. COuld it have something to do with the chill hour requirements?

Why do you assume their extended ripening period is the result of stress? I don't think it is.

All the previous season did for the trees was save them from the stress of "parenthood" and give them an extra month to harvest and use energy. Same for the forest trees, as far as I can tell.