The Bartlett pear is known for its classic sweet flavor, ample juice, and buttery, melting texture. Achieving this desirable eating quality depends entirely on harvesting the fruit at the correct stage of development. Unlike apples or peaches, Bartlett pears must be picked when they are physiologically mature but still firm. If this fruit is allowed to fully ripen on the tree, the flesh will develop a grainy or mealy texture and the core will often break down, preventing the smooth, succulent experience the variety is prized for.
The Critical Timing Window
Determining the precise moment to pick Bartlett pears requires attention to a narrow window of opportunity that occurs late in the season. The general harvest timeframe across North America typically falls between late August and mid-September, depending heavily on the specific climate and accumulated heat units. This timing represents the point of physiological maturity, which is distinct from the soft, sweet state of eating ripeness.
Pears must be harvested during this mature-green stage to ensure the best post-harvest quality. Leaving the fruit on the tree for too long causes the interior to soften first, leading to a condition called core breakdown. Commercially, growers often use a penetrometer to measure flesh firmness, targeting a pressure reading around 19.5 pounds.
Another internal sign of maturity is the color of the seeds, which should have turned from white to a dark brown or black. This seed color change indicates the fruit is fully developed, though picking must happen promptly at this stage. The harvest window is usually quite short, lasting only about one week, making daily monitoring toward the end of summer necessary.
Indicators of Picking Readiness
The most reliable way for a home grower to determine picking readiness involves checking several actionable physical indicators, rather than relying on a calendar date alone. One of the first noticeable changes is a subtle shift in the fruit’s skin color, which evolves from a deep, uniform green to a lighter, yellowish-green hue. This is especially apparent around the neck or stem end of the pear, signaling the chlorophyll is beginning to degrade.
The most definitive and widely used test is the “tilt test,” which assesses the strength of the connection between the fruit and the branch spur. To perform this, the pear is gently lifted into a horizontal position and slightly twisted, without pulling downward. If the pear is ready for harvest, the stem will separate cleanly and easily from the spur at the point of the abscission layer.
If the pear resists this gentle tilting or requires a forceful tug to detach, it is not yet mature enough and should be left on the tree for a few more days. The stem should remain intact and turgid on the picked fruit, which is necessary to prevent decay organisms from entering the pear during the ripening process.
Ripening Pears After Harvest
Once Bartlett pears are picked at the mature-green stage, they require a specific post-harvest process to develop their characteristic smooth texture. This process begins with a period of cold conditioning, a unique requirement for most European pear varieties. Immediately after harvest, the fruit benefits from being stored at a temperature near the freezing point, optimally between 30 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
This chilling period is scientifically necessary to activate the fruit’s ability to produce ethylene, the natural plant hormone that triggers ripening. For Bartletts, this requirement is relatively short, often satisfied by just one or two days of refrigeration, although longer storage up to two weeks may be used for fruit destined for marketing.
Following the cold treatment, the pears should be brought to room temperature, ideally between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, for the final ripening phase. This counter-top ripening generally takes between four and seven days. To check for eating ripeness, a gentle press is applied to the neck of the pear, near the stem end; if this area yields to slight pressure, the pear is ready to be eaten. The body of the pear will still be quite firm when the neck is ready.
This final ripening can be accelerated by placing the pears in a paper bag, which concentrates the naturally emitted ethylene gas. Adding a high-ethylene-producing fruit, such as a ripe banana or apple, to the bag will hasten the process. Once the pears have reached peak eating ripeness, they can be placed back in the refrigerator to hold their quality for a few days, slowing the metabolic process that leads to overripeness.