Baskets of Pears, and a Snake
Walking up the driveway today I discovered a pear tree that I had no idea was growing just ten feet into the woods. Daisy and I went it with a big metal bucket, but before we could pick a single pear, she spotted an enormous snake. I think (hope!) it was a king snake, and it eventually unfolded all five feet of itself and slithered into an invisible hole.
When that was behind us, we fell upon the pears. I'm sure we picked twenty pounds in five minutes. We will be ripening these in baskets, and then embarking upon pear sauce, pickled pears, and dried pears.
10 comments:
How very Garden-of-Eden-ish :D
I am glad you fell upon the pears rather than the snake! If you need more ideas for using them up this is an Australian site.
http://rediscoverthepear.com.au/delicious-serving-ideas/
What a very nice surprise! (The pears, not the snake:) )
Christina
What a nice photo! I hadn't imagined your place to be so near the woods - the thought of the two of you picking twenty pounds in five minutes was pretty funny. Snakes that big are never seen around here (I don't think).
Lisateresa
Goodness, the tree must have been there for years. Our neighbor has a pear tree heavy laden with pears and the deer come to eat them in the evenings. Unfortunately, for humans they are hard as rocks and never ripen. They have a weak, anemic pear flavor and will not ripen even in a paper bag! Clarice Storybook Woods at typepad has a great recipe for a roasted pear sauce you might want to check out.
Lisa, the house sits up on top of a ridge, and the woods come right up to it in back.
Stickhorsecowgirls, I'm still waiting to eat one of these--we'll see.
Thanks for the great pear ideas, Rose!
We used to get pears that had a skin as tough as nails but that skin was protecting the jewel inside! A firm, tart, lemony flesh that was perfect for pear chips, pear marmalade and pear butter!! Also, once peeled, they were perfect for just eating out of hand/bowl.
This is good over a baked ham!! or on top of pound cake or ice cream.
Bartlett Harlequin Jam - USAPears.com
You wouldn't think that the addition of maraschino cherries could change the complex flavors of this very easy jam. From a base of Bartlett pears comes a jam as pretty as it is delicious.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Bartlett USA Pears
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package (2 ounces) powdered fruit pectin
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 jar (8 ounces) red maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
Directions
Peel, core, and finely chop pears. Measure 2 cups fruit into heavy kettle; add pineapple and lemon juice. Add pectin; stir well. Bring to boil; stir constantly. Add sugar; mix well. Cook and stir over high heat until mixture comes to full rolling boil. Boil 4 minutes. Remove from heat and skim. Carefully stir in cherries. Ladle into clean, hot half-pint canning jars to within ��-inch of tops. Seal according to jar manufacturer's directions.
Place jars on rack in canner. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath with boiling water 2 inches above jar tops. Remove jars from canner. Cool away from drafts. Remove rings from sealed jars after 12 hours.
Enjoy your treasure!
Wendy
yield: Makes about 8 half pints
How blessed to find those indeed! Had you known it was there in years past?
Pickled pears? Please explain.
What an amazing find! How lovely ... well, except the snake part.
Post a Comment