Red Bartlett

The Red Bartlett pears were ready to harvest from the tree today. My small tree produced two dozen fruit.

Unlike most fruit, in order to optimise the sweetness, pears are picked before they are ripe. Once they come off the tree easily when their stalks are bent they are ready. Then they’re stored in a cool place (in my case, in the fridge) for a couple of weeks, removed and left in a fruit bowl for two or three days, by which time they will have softened and sweetened ready to eat.

I grow Beurre Bosc pears too, but they are far from ripe.

Bean surpassed herself finding wind blown apricots this morning. She snuffled half a dozen hidden deep in the long grass in the orchard, and when I asked she dropped each one in my open hand, perfectly undamaged in her soft mouth. I gave her the smallest one as reward once we’d finished. What a dog.

Extra 1 shows the pears in a tray ready to go into the fridge. This was going to be the main, but I just love the sunlight on the leaves of the main I chose…

Extra 2 is the Peasgood Nonsuch apple tree laden down with its huge fruit, and the hen run in the background. One small branch has broken in the gusty norwesterly winds today.

Extra 3 shows Bean checking the weighed-down plum trees. It’s another huge crop, but will be a little while until it’s ripe.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments about yesterday’s blip.