Sweet, succulent and refreshing—a ripe pear is a thing of beauty. Unripe pears, on the other hand, are not nearly as rewarding. Fortunately, our guide on how to ripen pears will spare you the disappointment of biting into a rock-hard, flavorless piece of fruit.
Pears are one of very few fruits that do not ripen on the tree. In fact, they are always harvested when mature, but not yet ripe, which is why it’s pretty common to encounter unripe pears at the farmer’s market and grocery store. The good news is that pears that have been plucked from the tree will naturally ripen, so long as they are not exposed to cold temperatures. (Hint: This is why you should never store unripe pears in the refrigerator.) Read on for a few different methods for ripening pears and remember that room temperature is a prerequisite across the board.