Asian pears are ready to eat when purchased; European pears ripen after harvest. Check European pears for color changes, sweet aroma and soft flesh near the stem to spot ripeness. To speed ripening, ...

A person touches the bottom of a pear as it hangs on the tree. - Ingwervanille/Getty Images If you haven't been fortunate enough to grow and care for a pear tree in your backyard, you might not know ...

Pear trees can be roughly divided into two types: European and Asian. This distinction is not just about origin but also the fruit they produce. Fruit from Asian pears is usually crunchy and round or ...

* What it is: This relatively small fruit tree is an Oriental relative of our common European pears, but it produces round, golden, baseball-sized fruits that look – and crunch – like apples. They ...

Q: How do I know when to harvest my pears? Last year I waited for them to ripen on the tree, but when they finally turned soft, the inside was rotten. A: I assume you’re asking about European pears.

Pears can be divided into two simple categories: European and Asian. The former is what we typically think of: a smooth-skinned fruit with gentle bumps and curves in that typical bottom-heavy shape.

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From small and green to large and brown, Asian pears come in several sizes and hues. They might have smooth skins or be sprinkled with russeting. They’re also versatile. Pears are good mixers. They go ...