- seckel pears
Seckel pears are also known as Sugar Pear and Honey Pear, which can give you a little hint of how yummy they are……..
There is a lot of lore around the origin of Seckel pears, not all of it consistent. They are sometimes called a truly “American” product having been cultivated in the USA since the early 1800s and are believed by many to be the only truly American variety of pear in commercial production.
According to some sources, the first Seckel pear tree was discovered growing near the Delaware River in Pennsylvania around 1800. Some say that Seckels are thought to have originated as a wild seedling near Philadelphia. It is also possible that German immigrants traveling westward through the area dropped fruit or left seeds behind. Another source claims the fruit to be a hybrid of European and Asian varieties.
Seckels are the smallest of the pear varieties. They are olive-green in color and may turn red on one cheek. Inside they are white and sweet.
Pears ripen from the inside out, so you can’t judge their ripeness by looking at the skin. To test if a pear is ripe, apply gentle pressure near the stem end. If it gives slightly, it’s ready to be eaten.
Pears also don’t ripen successfully on the tree. They’re picked when they have reached full size, but before the onset of ripening. If they’re left on the tree to ripen, they become quite mealy and unpleasant in texture.
bartlett pears
If need be, you can store pears in the fridge until a couple of days before you plan to eat them, then place them in a brown paper bag on the counter. The bag will capture the ethylene gas that most ripening fruits give off, which speeds the ripening process. After a couple of days in the bag, the pears should be just right.
Beware: once the pears are ripe, they have a short shelf life so eat them right away or refrigerate immediately.
Enjoy the pears and all the rest of the goodies in the box. Thanks for getting all those boxes back to us, by the way……
