Good To The Last Drop

Our Bartlett pear tree outdid itself this year.

Pears are a funny fruit that do not ripen completely on the tree. They drop to the ground in a firm state and it takes anywhere from a day to a week for the fruit to ripen and soften. During the beginning of the crop, the small green fruit that was dropping were not high quality, they were the scabby or deformed ones that were naturally weeding themselves out of the harvest.

Being the pear lovers we are, we enjoyed those ugly little pears even when they refused to ripen once we had them sorted out on the table in the garage. The dogs, on the other hand, enjoyed eating the small green ones. The crunches could be heard from the far side of the house.

For the last month we have been savoring the fruit that has dropped from the tree. The last few remaining pears are turning yellow on the tree just because they are caught in the branches while they ripen.

In the house the final pears are in the dehydrator, the canned ones are lined up in the cupboard and we had our last taste of Bartlett pear salad with candied walnuts, dried cranberries and feta cheese.

Under the tree, Jackson savors the flavor of the season.