Freezing pears?

[Morticia]

OK, the pears are falling from the tree they are so ripe. Some are even rotting on the tree, so this is the last weekend to pick them. I got about 10 lbs today. With a ladder, instead of a chair (which we used today) I can get many of the rest of them. BUT, can I freeze them? And how? I'm not going to can them. Just curious if anyone has had any success with dicing pears and freezing?

 

[DaisyMae]

well, i made a pearberry (pears & raspberries) sorbet this morning to go along with poached pears. the guests all loved it!

 

[DaisyMae]

oh my point with the sorbet thing was that it was frozen. the pears tasted fien. but are you meaning to be able to freeze them for thawing out to be used later on?

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Can you share the recipe? I love sorbet

 

[DaisyMae]

oh me too! it's not actually my own original recipe. some of my sorbets are but this one was not,,,but, yeah, i'll dig up the recipe & give it to you.
i like sorbet because i feel like i can indulge in something sweet but i'm also getting fresh fruit...blah blah blah. we make all our sorbets from scratch. they are so simple & easy to make & guests LOVE them in the summertime!

 

[Morticia]

oh my point with the sorbet thing was that it was frozen. the pears tasted fien. but are you meaning to be able to freeze them for thawing out to be used later on?.

oh my point with the sorbet thing was that it was frozen. the pears tasted fien. but are you meaning to be able to freeze them for thawing out to be used later on?

Yes, I'd like to cut them and freeze them and use them all winter for cobblers. (Which was yum-o this morning, btw, even with imported blueberries. Had to use the ginormous blueberries we got frozen as they do NOT fit in the pancakes!)

 

[JeannineIrish]

I know your question was about freezing but when we had a pear tree in our other house I canned the pears one year as spiced pears. Yummy.

 

[EmptyNest]

Go here for directions

 

[GeorgiaGirl]

It sounds like the pears might be too ripe to freeze? I wonder if you could make something like pear sauce (applesauce but pears instead) and freeze that???

 

[Morticia]

It sounds like the pears might be too ripe to freeze? I wonder if you could make something like pear sauce (applesauce but pears instead) and freeze that???.

I wouldn't take the overripe ones. I have the option of poking each one before I pick it.

 

[inncogneeto]

In response to another thread...I read that you will know the pears are ready when they pull off the branch easily like an apple...
but my question is...as far as canning goes...when you pull those pears they are still green and hard...do you wait for them to soften and yellow or do you cook them green? For canned sliced pears or for preserves like jam, syrup, etc???? I never seem to get it right, always too early or fighting over them with the critters... for ones on the ground.
And...Joy of Cooking 1967-1970-ish edition has a recipe for a jam called Paradise Jam, with apples, quince and cranberries, looked good...

 

[EmptyNest]

In response to another thread...I read that you will know the pears are ready when they pull off the branch easily like an apple...
but my question is...as far as canning goes...when you pull those pears they are still green and hard...do you wait for them to soften and yellow or do you cook them green? For canned sliced pears or for preserves like jam, syrup, etc???? I never seem to get it right, always too early or fighting over them with the critters... for ones on the ground.
And...Joy of Cooking 1967-1970-ish edition has a recipe for a jam called Paradise Jam, with apples, quince and cranberries, looked good....

You would not want to use green hard pears for canning. They should be fairly ripened before they are canned. They won't get any better than what they are sitting in jars.:-(