Pears are somewhat unique within fruits in that they rippen from the inside
outwards.
They will rippen nicely if picked as they just begin to turn soft. Put them in
the
refrigerator and let them rippen there. If they are ripe on the outside, they
are probably rotten inside.

Sherwin D.

Joshua Putnam wrote:

In article ,
says...
I checked them a few days ago. They are hard as a rock, and getting bigger.
Is that normal for this time of year?

One of our pear trees is just starting to soften a bit, the other is
still rock hard.

That's south of Seattle, your local climate can make a big difference.

Pears keep much longer if you pick them before they're ripe, but they
taste better if you let them fully ripen on the tree. But I can't eat
them all fast enough if they ripen on the tree, so some of them have to
come off early, even if they aren't quite as good that way.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html