How Do I Store Pears After Harvest?

Storing pears successfully requires a slightly different approach from apples, because pears ripen from the inside out and can go from perfectly ripe to over-ripe and mushy in the course of a day. Understanding the two-stage process — cool storage first, then room-temperature ripening — is the key to enjoying perfectly ripe pears through the weeks after harvest.

Cool storage conditions

Freshly harvested pears should go into cool storage (0–4°C) as promptly as possible after picking. An unheated outbuilding, garage, cellar or shed that stays cool but does not freeze is ideal. The temperature should be consistently cool — fluctuating temperatures accelerate ripening and reduce storage life. Keep pears in single layers in trays or boxes where possible, so air can circulate around each fruit and you can spot any rot developing without it spreading to adjacent fruits. Do not wrap pears in newspaper as this inhibits gas exchange and can trap moisture.

How long different varieties keep

Early varieties like Williams have very short storage life — typically two to three weeks in cool conditions. They ripen quickly and must be monitored closely. Mid-season varieties like Conference keep for six to eight weeks in cool conditions. Late varieties like Doyenné du Comice can be stored for ten to twelve weeks. Keeping records of how your specific tree performs in your specific storage conditions is invaluable for planning how many fruits to move to ripening each week.

Bringing pears to ripeness

To ripen stored pears, bring a small batch (enough for a few days' eating) from cold storage to a room at 18–20°C. Check them daily — pressing the neck end of the pear gently: when it yields softly to light pressure at the neck, the pear is ready to eat. The time from cold store to ready-to-eat is typically two to five days depending on variety and season, faster in warm rooms. Bringing the whole stored crop into warmth at once will result in them all being ready simultaneously and too many to eat before they pass over.

Detecting and removing spoiled fruit

Check stored pears at least once a week. Remove any that show soft spots, discolouration or the beginning of brown rot — one infected pear left in store will contaminate its neighbours. Pears with brown rot should be disposed of in household waste, not composted.