Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Pears

Autumn, Winter

Description: The texture of pears ranges from very soft, creamy, and juicy to firm and crisp. Colors range from brown to gold to green to red.

Selection: Choose firm pears without bruises or soft spots.

Storage and handling: Pears will continue to ripen at room temperature. They are ripe when the flesh surrounding the stem yields slightly to gentle pressure. Store ripe pears in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Wash in a bowl of cold water before eating.

Preparation: Halve or quarter lengthwise, remove stem and core with paring knife. Peel if desired; pear skins tend to toughen upon cooking. Poach by adding pears to hot flavorful liquid (fruit juice or water with citrus peel, sweetener, spices) and simmering, covered, until pears are transparent and just tender, basting occasionally. Halved pears can be poached in the microwave, 6-8 minutes. Bake like apples.

Serving suggestions: Eat fresh raw pears as is or add to salads (SIS, p. 190). Serve pears as part of a cheese, fruit, and nut plate. Use in baked desserts (SIS, p. 216).

Comments: Most pears discolor quickly after cutting, so use them quickly or toss with an acid source such as diluted lemon juice.

Nutrients: Vitamin C; antitumor compound allicin, bioflavonoid anti-oxidants, anthocyanin antioxidants (red-skinned varieties); fiber.

1 lb raw = 2 1⁄4 cups
1 lb cooked = 2 cups

The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.


	Guide General Tips Apples Asparagus Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Collards Corn Cranberries Cucumbers Edamame Edible flowers Eggplant Fennel Grapes Green beans Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Melon Mesclun Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Persimmons Potatoes Pumpkins Raspberries Rhubarb Rutabagas Spinach Summer squash Strawberries Swiss chard Sweet potatoes Tomatillos Tomatoes Turnips Wild greens Winter squash Fruit and Vegetable Guide Pears Autumn, Winter Description: The texture of pears ranges from very soft, creamy, and juicy to firm and crisp. Colors range from brown to gold to green to red. Selection: Choose firm pears without bruises or soft spots. Storage and handling: Pears will continue to ripen at room temperature. They are ripe when the flesh surrounding the stem yields slightly to gentle pressure. Store ripe pears in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Wash in a bowl of cold water before eating. Preparation: Halve or quarter lengthwise, remove stem and core with paring knife. Peel if desired; pear skins tend to toughen upon cooking. Poach by adding pears to hot flavorful liquid (fruit juice or water with citrus peel, sweetener, spices) and simmering, covered, until pears are transparent and just tender, basting occasionally. Halved pears can be poached in the microwave, 6-8 minutes. Bake like apples. Serving suggestions: Eat fresh raw pears as is or add to salads (SIS, p. 190). Serve pears as part of a cheese, fruit, and nut plate. Use in baked desserts (SIS, p. 216). Comments: Most pears discolor quickly after cutting, so use them quickly or toss with an acid source such as diluted lemon juice. Nutrients: Vitamin C; antitumor compound allicin, bioflavonoid anti-oxidants, anthocyanin antioxidants (red-skinned varieties); fiber. 1 lb raw = 2 1⁄4 cups 1 lb cooked = 2 cups The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.
World Community Cookbooks Simply in Season About Recipe of the Week Fruit and Vegetable Guide Blogs & Reviews Register Simply in Season Children’s Cookbook About Look Inside More-with-Less About Recipes Extending the table About Recipes Links MCC Web site
	© 2008 Mennonite Central Committee 21 South 12th Street, PO Box 500 Akron, PA 17501 tel: +1 (717) 859-1151 or toll free (888) 563-4676 MCC Canada, 134 Plaza Drive, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 5K9 tel: +1 (204) 261-6381 or toll free (888) 622-6337 Contact cookbook@mcc.org regarding the content of this page. Contact fdy@mcc.org regarding technical difficulties with this page.