History
People have been enjoying the sweet flavor of the pear since ancient times. Early Romans loved pears so much that they developed ways to produce over fifty varieties of pears with different textures and colors. Soon after, the pear was cultivated in Europe, producing hundreds of varieties of the delectable fruit.
The famous Bartlett pear was originally grown in Berkshire, England back in the 17th century by a teacher named John Stair. Stair sold some of his pear tree branches to a horticulturist named Williams who further refined the breed and named it after himself. When European immigrants crossed the Atlantic Ocean to settle in America, they brought the Williams pear seedlings with them. The name of the pear changed to Bartlett in 1812 in Dorchester, Massachusetts when a gardener named Enock Bartlett, unaware of the pear's true name, sold the pear under his own name. The Bartlett pear spread to the Western front during the Gold Rush and has since become America's favorite pear.
Source: California Pears
Pear storage
To ripen your pears, place any variety in a paper bag in room temperature. Ripening should only take 2 to 5 days. To check if they are ready to eat, press your thumb gently into the stem end of the pear. If it is slightly soft to the pressure of your thumb, it is ripe and ready to eat! Refrigeration is recommended if they are ripe and are not eaten right away. You can store pears for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
What about the color of a pear?
The color of a pear does not represent how ripe it is, so it is best to do the thumb test. Bartlett pears turn from green to yellow when they are ripe. Some varieties of pears that are red in color will turn from dark to bright red. Still other varieties might not change in color at all.
Nutrient analysis for 1 medium pear: calories: 98, protein: <1g, carbohydrate: 25g, fat: <1g, cholesterol: 0mg, saturated fat: <1g, sodium: 0mg, fiber: 4g