These are NOT Bartlett pears....these are Sand Pears.
They are ready to be picked; Millie has a tree and graciously shares it with me.
You can't eat these fresh from the tree; it is like biting into wood-hard and grainy.
The peel feels like sand is under his skin. They are hard and never soften until they are over-ripe and rotten. It was hard to make friends with this fruit until I learned how to use them!
You cut off the top and bottom and peel the skin off and cut the sides from the core...
...a lot of times,
So that you have a nice pile of chunks,
You place them in a pan with a little water and sugar and simmer like you would for fresh applesauce...
You will end up with a delightful pear-ish tasting sauce that is delicious warm or cold!
Nice to enjoy a regional harvest!
What fresh fruit are you enjoying now?
There is a star fruit tree that hangs over the sidewalk in our neighborhood. I have snatched a few of the star fruit as I walk by. (Doesn't look like the owner harvests them at all.) I am also enjoying some Florida cantelopes (musk melons?) ---- DEElicious!
ReplyDeleteSo that explains it. I was visiting my aunt in southern VA a few years ago and she gave me a bag of hard little pears she grew that were just like that. I had no idea what to do with them so I fed them to the deer who seemed to enjoy them.
ReplyDelete"...a lot of times..." -- that made me laugh! I can hear you saying that. 😀
ReplyDeleteIs there enough sauce to freeze a little container of it for me to taste in November? :)
NO fruit.Lots of corn on the cob here in corn belt. And it is perfection right now
ReplyDeleteI wonder can you bake with them? Even the name "Sand Pear" doesn't sound like it's really ... inviting does it. Hmm. I like the idea of the sauce or chutney!
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