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What to do with all the pears you’ll be harvesting this fall

Here are some delicious ways to use your fall pear harvest

Rebecca Wolken
By

It’s always exciting when peak pear picking season is in full swing. Finally, after all those months and possibly even years of hard work, you’ll (literally) get to enjoy the fruits of your labors! You can enjoy the first few pears you pick fresh, whether on their own or as part of a delightful fruit salad. However, after a few, you might start to wonder what exactly you should do with all of these pears.

Some pear trees can produce up to 50 pounds of fruit. That’s a lot of pears, even for the most avid pear lover! If you’re in need of some inspiration for what to do with pears from your harvest, we have some ideas for you.

Cooked pears with cinnamon

Cook and bake your pears

Pear season is typically around October, just when the weather is starting to get chilly. Sweaters are coming out of closets and hot drinks are being served at coffee shops. Here are some of the best ways you can cook and bake pears to get the most out of this year’s harvest.

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Crisps and pies

As they say, there’s nothing more American than apple pie, but we want to challenge that with pear crisps and pies. These desserts (or morning coffee sidekicks) are sweet, soft, and spicy in all the best ways. For these types of recipes, it’s best to use firm pears that haven’t yet fully ripened. Pears that are too ripe will be gooey and turn to mush when baked. Firm pears will soften up in the oven while still maintaining a bit of their texture.

Mashed

This pear puree recipe by Martha Stewart turns overripe pears into a simple yet delicious pear dessert. All you need is ripe pears, pear brandy, and sugar. Sprinkle a little powdered sugar over the squares when serving, and you’re sure to impress your dinner guests!

Salads

Another way to eat pears fresh, without baking them with a lot of sugar, is to toss them in with a salad. There are many pear salad recipes, but it seems everyone’s favorite salad companion for pears is balsamic dressing and walnuts. Add some goat cheese on top of that, and you’ve got a gourmet salad. You can even add edible flowers from your garden for an extra pop of color! Be sure the pears you use are ripe; pears that are too hard might clash with the salad’s other textures.

Roasted

If you’re looking for an afternoon snack to accompany your spiced tea, you might want to try roasting pears. Simply halve a pear and bake it in the oven. When it’s nice and soft, serve it on a plate with a sprinkle of cinnamon, a drizzle of honey, and some chopped walnuts. It’s a sweet snack that doesn’t require any additional sugars. You could even serve these as a dessert with vanilla bean ice cream.

Sauteed

Sometimes preheating the oven can be annoying, but there is another way to cook up some pears in a sweet way. Sauteing pears in a bit of butter and cinnamon will fill the house with delicious smells as well as produce a soft and spiced pear that you can serve over ice cream, yogurt, or even just by itself in a bowl.

Poached

While poaching pears isn’t the easiest of tasks, we’re sure you’ll love this recipe by Giada de Laurentiis on Food Network. It uses ingredients like cinnamon sticks, honey, vanilla bean, ginger, and dessert wine to create a complex and mouth-watering dessert. It’s suggested to use firm pears that aren’t too mushy, or else they’ll fall apart while being poached.

Cheese board

Charcuterie boards have become one of the most popular food trends that people are constantly striving to perfect. The best part of these beautiful boards is the flexibility to add or subtract anything you want. Pears are often featured on cheese boards, and we highly recommend them. They’re a great way to take a break from intense cheeses and seasoned crackers.

Slicing pears

Preserve your pears

Even though the above recipes are sure to use up a lot of your pears, there’s sometimes just no way to use them all up. Of course, sharing them with friends and family is always a great way to spread the joy of fresh pears, but you might still end up with pears you haven’t used. This is where preserving your pears comes in handy.

Canning

The most obvious and popular way to preserve food is by canning. Many of us have probably eaten soft and delicious canned pears that come in fruit juice. You can easily make your own canned pears and enjoy your pears even in the depths of winter. Like the baked and roasted pear options above, it’s best to use pears that aren’t too soft when canning them. Canning means cooking them, and if they’re too soft, they will turn mushy and not hold their shape in the jar.

Dehydrating

While dehydrated pears won’t last as long as canned pears, they will still stay fresh in your pantry for much longer than a fresh pear. If you have a dehydrator, this task is as simple as slicing your pears and putting them in the dehydrator for 10 to 12 hours. If you have to use your oven, the process is precisely the same.

There are so many ways you can cook, bake, toss, slice, pair, and preserve your large pear harvest. We suggest trying out something from every method and sharing as much of them as you can. One of the best parts of producing your own food is sharing the joy with the ones you love.

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Sweet, juicy, and crispy pears are not only versatile in recipes, but they’re also some of the easiest fruits to grow in a home garden. They resemble apples in look and taste (well, slightly), but pears tend to be much more resistant to pests and diseases. Plus, pears are full of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium for added benefits to your health.

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Cook and bake your apples
So, what can you do with a bunch of apples? As your fall harvest of apples begins to pile up, you might get overwhelmed with what to do with them. Here are some new and unique ways you can prepare apples to enjoy them all through the season.
Crisps and pies
Of course, there is the classic apple pie or apple crisp. These are great ways to use up apples because they often call for six or more apples. You can bake a few pies or crisps for friends, family, or neighbors and share your harvest with those around you.
Cake and muffins
Less famous than pies but still a favorite among apple lovers, apple cakes and muffins are delicious and can also serve as a breakfast snack with your morning coffee. You can always make a big batch of apple muffins and freeze them for later.
Butter and sauce
You probably reach for a jar of apple butter at the fall hayrides every year, but you can also make this yummy topping at home. Making apple butter uses up a bunch of apples, so you can reduce your huge pile at home. In addition, you can make some homemade applesauce as well. Here is a recipe from MidwestLiving for awesome apple butter.
Fried
While the above ways to eat apples might be our favorites, they can get boring. So here we have a recipe from Tikkido.com for fried apple rings. These rings are thin slices of apples fried in a pancake-like batter and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. They're easy and will become an instant favorite. They go great with ice cream after a holiday meal or with a cup of tea or coffee before breakfast with your family.
Salads
You can toss a handful of thinly sliced apples into almost any salad, but a unique way to eat apples is in this yummy cabbage salad with apples and walnuts by Mom's Kitchen Handbook. It's colorful and offers a different way to enjoy your favorite fruit on a healthy salad.
Roasted
Roasted apples are a sweet treat without all the sugar of a pie or crisp. These roasted apples by Martha Stewart only call for a small amount of sugar and cinnamon. You can add them to a bowl of vanilla ice cream or eat them on their own as a sweet and delicious snack.
Slow cooker
Similar to roasted apples, you can use a slow cooker to soften apple slices. Add some butter, cinnamon, and sugar to a bowl of sliced apples, then put them in the slow cooker for an hour or two. What you'll have is a soft, saucy, and spice-filled treat that's great on its own or on top of ice cream.
Cheese board
Charcuterie boards are a trendy way to serve guests before a big meal, and we love to add fresh fruits to ours. Apples are an excellent choice. Their crisp juices cut through the creamy cheeses and cleanse your palate. Thinly slice a mix of red and green apples for a range of sweet and sour, then add all your favorite cheeses, crackers, jams, olives, and nuts. Have some fun setting it up and watch as friends and family enjoy. Or maybe make one just for yourself!

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