Check the neck.

It’s a simple catchphrase, but it does its job, as the best of catchy phrases should. Check the neck: these three words are the key to sweet and juicy USA Pears. If you’re one of those people, like my roommate, who has always felt, oh, ambivalent about eating (not to mention enjoying) fresh pears, you’ll want to pay attention now. You’ve probably felt that way because the pears you’ve had in the past have been lackluster. Unripe. Overripe. Languishing in a fruit cocktail mix on your grade school lunch line. But that can all change now! You, too, can enjoy juicy, delicious pears that are sweet as candy! You’ll just need to check the neck. It’s simple: hold a pear in the palm of your hand and press near the stem with your thumb. If the skin there gives a little Continue reading

Check the Neck

Did you know that pears don’t ripen on the tree? They’re harvested when they’re mature, although not ripe. Once off the tree, they ripen from the inside out. If you want your pears to ripen, don’t keep them in the refrigerator. Instead, place them on the counter near other fresh fruits, like bananas, or in a brown paper bag. Bananas naturally give off a gas called ethylene that speeds up the ripening process. To tell if a pear is ripe, check the neck, or the stem end of the pear, by applying slight pressure with your thumb. If it yields, it’s ripe, sweet, and juicy! Here are some more quick tips: •    Most pears don’t change colors when ripening. Only the Bartlett pear changes from green to a bright yellow. •    Once a pear is ripe, it can be refrigerated Continue reading

Everyone Deserves a Ripe Pear

In Southest Asia, it’s only natural that people are more used to the Asian pear varieties, which are more crunchy than our USA Pears.  So we offer samples, hand out brochures, and use signs – like the one above from Taiwan – to teach shoppers in supermarkets and fruit shops how to Check the Neck for ripeness so that they can properly enjoy a sweet, juicy USA Pear.  Gently press the neck of the pear with your thumb, and when it slightly yields, it’s ready to eat! Notice that Perry is checking a Red Anjou pear – not a coincidence for Taiwan.  The red USA Pear varieties – mostly Red Anjou and Starkrimson – are unique and becoming more and more popular in Taiwan due to their auspicious color.  Red is lucky in many Southeast Asian countries, especially around Chinese Continue reading