How to keep pears for the winter: the best ways to keep fruits fresh, dried and frozen

Sometimes the pear harvest can be so large that it is not possible to process such a number of fruits for homemade preparations for the winter (jam, juice). In addition, pears are a very healthy fruit that is best consumed fresh, without subjecting to heat treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to properly organize the storage of the pear harvest at home so that you can pamper yourself and loved ones all winter.

Well, then let's talk about how to keep pears fresh for a long period of time, namely what conditions need to be created and, most importantly, maintained.

Pear varieties suitable for long-term storage

Obviously, not all pear varieties are suitable for storage.

Note! Naturally, summer varieties of pears are completely unsuitable for long-term storage: they are too soft and juicy, which is why they will begin to rot within a few days after you remove them from the tree.

Another thing is late or winter varieties: they are ideal for long winter storage, after all, it's not for nothing that they are called that.

The most popular winter late varieties of pears:

• autumn (Marble, Yakovlev's favorite, Talgar beauty);
• autumn-winter (Bere-Bosk, Dressy Efimova);
• winter varieties (Pervomaiskaya, Charles Konye, ​​Parisian, Noyabrskaya).

Interesting! As a rule, the autumn-winter and winter varieties have a tart taste, and the fruits themselves are, as it were, covered with a waxy = protective coating. But in general, astringency indicates the presence of tannins, which help the fruit resist rot, mold, and increase the likelihood of fruit preservation.

Rules for harvesting and preparing apples for winter storage

The storage time of pears will depend on many factors: firstly, when the fruits were picked, how they were selected and prepared.

Rules for collecting fruits for storage

When and how pears were harvested is fundamental to their preservation in winter.

So, without fail, pears must be removed for storage slightly unripe (i.e. in technical and biological ripeness - it is also called removable, in other words, the fruits must pass the stage of technical ripeness, but not yet reach biological). Moreover, it is better to do this manually, and not with special strippers (you will definitely damage the pears and tear off the stalk with them).

Note! If you pick the pears too green (in the initial technical ripeness), there will be no point in storing them, since such fruits in the end will still remain tough and unfit for consumption.

When are pears removed for storage, what are the approximate terms?

• As a rule, somewhere in the second half of September or early October.

To keep pears fresh throughout the winter, you need to follow a few rules for collecting them for storage:

• It is necessary to remove the fruits strictly in dry weather.

If the fruits are wet, then how long can we talk about storage?

Advice! In no case should you wash the fruits before putting them in a container.

• Fruits collected after frost are not sent for storage: it is better to consume or process them immediately (frozen pears will simply not be stored).
• The fruits are harvested directly from the tree together with the stalks (the stalk should be separated quite easily in the pear close to maturity).

If the stalk of a pear breaks off during the harvesting process, then in this place the fruit will soon rot.

Pears that have fallen to the ground are only suitable for processing (for jam) or drying.

Preparation of fruits for long storage

Before sending pears for storage, they must be carefully examined, so to speak, to carry out a selection, namely, to find fruits without any scratches, dents, rottenness and other damage (it is better to discard all any dubious specimens immediately). Then sort by size, carefully placing the fruits in the boxes.

Important! One unusable pear can end up ruining the whole batch.

Video: when and how best to harvest pears

How to properly store fresh pears in winter: optimal storage conditions

To keep pears fresh until spring, you need to follow a few simple rules, or rather storage conditions:

• the storage location should be cool, shaded, relatively dry and well ventilated.
• the ideal storage temperature is +1 .. + 4 degrees.

Both temperature and humidity should not fluctuate, but be conditionally constant (of course, fluctuations of 2-3 degrees will not make the weather, but at 5-10 - still how).

• humidity should not exceed 80-90%.

Excessively high humidityas unnecessary dry air, can harm the fruit: they either rot or begin to dry, becoming covered with wrinkles and cracks.

Important! When storing the fruit, in no case should there be drops of water!

In other words, the most ideal conditions for storing pears, thanks to which the fruits will definitely be stored for a long time, can be created in a basement or cellar, where it is cool, dark, moderately humid and there is good ventilation.

Worth knowing! The maximum shelf life of fresh pears is 3-6 months. So, it is believed that Parisian pears can lie until the New Year, and November - until March.

Video: how to save apples and pears until spring

Storage space

You can store pears both in a private house and in an apartment, for example:

• in the cellar;
• in the basement;

• on a balcony or loggia (preferably insulated);

Advice! Watch the temperature on your balcony, because if it drops below 0, the pears will have to be urgently removed from there.

• in the refrigerator (on the bottom shelf - in the vegetable drawer).

It is quite obvious that the refrigerator is not the best place for long-term storage of pears, since due to the proximity to other products they will not be able to lie there for a long time, and even more so in an ordinary household refrigerator, where the humidity tends to be minimal.

It's another matter if you have a store refrigerator.

Storage container

The container is of particular importance. Of course, ideally it should be a wooden box with holes (so that the fruits are ventilated), but a plastic one will do.

• The box must be clean and dry.
• It is best to first fumigate the boxes with smoke for disinfection (however, it is better to fumigate the entire storage).
• It is optimal to lay the bottom of the container with thick paper.

Bookmarking and storage rules

• Fruit should be spread with the stalk up.
• The fruits can only be stored for a long time if you lay them out freely (at a distance from each other so that they do not touch) and preferably in 1 layer (maximum - in 2 layers).

Important! Do not store pears (like apples) next to potatoes, sauerkraut: they will simply absorb excess odors.

• Pears of only one ripening period should be stored in one box.

Earlier varieties will simply force the later ones to ripen ahead of time.

• During storage, pears should be regularly inspected and promptly disposed of spoiled fruits (taken for food).

Popular ways to store pears for a long time

To increase the period, you can sprinkle your pears with one of the following substrates (bulk material), thanks to which the fruits will not lose moisture longer, namely:

• sand;
• tyrsoy;
• straw;
• sawdust or even better sawdust with fluff lime.

Each fruit can also be wrapped in paper (but not newsprint, as printing ink is toxic).

However, this method has one very significant drawback, namely, you simply cannot see when the fruits begin to rot ...

Other ways to store pears

If you want to store pears even longer, then you can freeze them or, even better, dry (or wilted).

Naturally, for these purposes, you can take all rejected pears (including those collected under a tree), which are not suitable for fresh storage.

However, before drying or freezing, they need wash thoroughlythen cut out all damaged areas, and get rid of seeds (remove core).

Dried and cured

You can make dried fruits i.e. dry chopped pears in any convenient way, including in the fresh air. But the best for this is an electric dryer (10-24 hours at 40-60 degrees), in extreme cases - an oven (at 50 degrees with an open door).

Video: drying pears in an electric dryer

Sugar-dried pears are an even more delicious treat (downright fruit sweets) than dried ones.

We will not describe the entire cooking technology: you better watch the next great video.

Video: dried pears - harvesting for the winter

Freezing

Like many vegetables and fruits, you can freeze pears.

Of course, you can just put sliced ​​pear pieces in containers or freezer bags (most people do, especially if you don't have a couple of pears), but they will darken pretty quickly.

Advice! To prevent this from happening, before putting them in the freezer, they can be “bathed” for 30 seconds in a lemon solution (2 glasses of water + 1 lemon juice or citric acid on the tip of a spoon), dried on napkins, put in bags and put away on storage in the freezer.

Thus, now you know that the key to the long storage of pears is the timely harvest, as well as knowledge of the conditions and methods for storing fruits fresh or in another form (frozen or dried).

Video: how to store apples and pears in winter