Pears are far less susceptible to the elements than the fore and after seasons; Cherries can be ruined by rain, apples by hail, and this unfortunately does happen from time to time which can be rather distressing if you are short of money. Packham Pears Enjoy Harvest Markets pears fresh or use in a vast array of desserts such as crumbles, strudels, and pies. Packmans Triumph are not generally eaten when crisp. It will be your responsibility to take your bins in and out of your rows. Pear and Nashi production in Australia, Pollination aware (PDF), 18/11/2015: Pear season 2016: Some farms lost 100% of their crop , 18/11/2015: Pear season 2016: Some more hail hits the Goulburn Valley , 16/10/2015: Pear season 2016: Goulburn Valley’s pear crop heavily affected by hail, Pear picking in Australia – The reliable fruit, Some more hail hits the Goulburn Valley , Goulburn Valley’s pear crop heavily affected by hail. The optimum time for picking pear fruit will vary dependent upon your zone. Add all this to the fact that Shepparton at this time of year is normally very hot, if you want to make decent money expect to work up a healthy sweat. Chilling requirement: Low: Vigour: Medium to Strong: Growth habit: Upright: Crotch angles-Tree size-Flowering-Full bloom: 2nd week September: Flower shape-Pollen compatibility Nothing beats the melting succulence of a fresh, ripe, well-grown pear. You should begin by checking a few fruits to see if they are mature enough. Packmans Triumph are not generally eaten when crisp. Much about picking pears can be related to other fruits and some of this advice may not become clear until you actually start to pick: Go up the ladder first with an empty picking bag and top it up with fruit reachable from the ground before going to the bin always with a full bag if you can. We are really grateful that he took the time to share his expertise and accept to publish it on Pick The World. Words: Jenny Somervell I love these versatile fruits poached in red wine. Pears are usually ready to pick when the fruit detaches from the tree when tilted to horizontal, apart from 'Beurre Bosc', which is harder to pick. They are the easiest to pick badly. Asian Pear: Full-on crunchy and similar in texture and shape to apples, this is a very mild-flavored pear with a soft, grainy texture. Be aware pear tree branches can break. Red and green Anjou pears are nearly identical in flavor. This post has been sent to us by “English Ben”, who has been picking fruit all around the world for the last 10 years, including pears for many seasons. Grown in: Packhams Triumph is mainly grown in producing countries in the southern hemisphere, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Chile. As with all fruit, get the technique right first and then speed it up. Origin: Packhams Triumph is the result of a cross between Uvedale’s St. Germain and Williams’ Bon Chrétien. Pear (Pyrus communis) Pears should be harvested just before they are ripe. A green pear with firm juicy flesh. When there is a slight ‘give’ to the fruit, it should be juicy and ready to eat. Pears should be harvested just before they are ripe. For these reasons I label pears “The Reliable Fruit”. I strongly believe having a daily routine helps you through the season, from the breakfast to that all important cold beer at the end of the day. However, some production does exist in Italy, Holland and UK. Starting towards the end of January and continuing for about six weeks means that the season falls nicely after the mainland cherry season and finishes in time for some apples. Pick them when they change from a dark green colour to a light or yellowish green, but before they turn yellow. Worker using a cherry picker to harvest the upper part of the trees. Most farms grow three varieties of pear and the techniques to pick them are all quite different. Some of the most common are comice, bosc, packham, bartlett, anjou, wintercole, and taylors gold. While most types of fruit reach their peak on the branch or vine, pears need to be picked before ripening. Get yourself some tough long socks and cut finger holes at the ends; wearing these as fingerless gloves protect your hands and wrists from scratches that the abrasive bark of the pear trees are sure to give you. Second they do take a while, probably a full season to be fluent in their use, and even when you are they don’t make you any quicker than the manual method with ladder. Swede trimming: one job…two points of view. one on the machine and one on the ground, while splitting the cost of the machine. Packham pears are available in the spring through winter in the northern hemisphere, which is in the fall through spring in the southern hemisphere. Pick them when they change from a dark green colour to a light or yellowish green, but before they turn yellow. Pear production in Australia 2012-2013 (Source: APAL). Try and avoid scratching the pear against the tree and breaking stems. Furthermore, pears are simply a far more consistent fruit in terms of what you can expect to pick and therefore earn on a daily and even seasonal basis. The Spruce / Molly Watson. Now for the most important bit, how much can you expect to earn? They elevate the simplest food to gourmet status. Bartlett (or Williams) Pear: This is the perfect choice when you want a really, really juicy pear. Pears need some unusual care during harvest and storage to … Bosc’s like Williams’ tend to grow in clumps but have very long brittle stems. Pick the largest fruit first; the smaller fruit will keep getting bigger. Another trick is to turn yourself around so you face away from the ladder and pick backwards. Obviously when picking for the cannery, damage to the fruit is not such a problem. Market fruit is either sold immediately where the bins are sorted in a packing shed, or more likely, bins are put straight into cold storage and released to the market as required. Health Benefits of Pears … The first variety to be picked is the Williams’ pear. The Best Time to Harvest Pears. Here are Don’s tips on harvesting pears, mangoes, pawpaws and bananas. If left to ripen on the tree the flavour will not be as good. Wear a hat, a long sleeve shirt and drink plenty of water, a cool box for your water is a good idea. When there is a slight ‘give’ to the fruit, it should be juicy and ready to eat. Like apples, you can pick home-grown pears over about a month or six weeks. The best method is to pick them in the same fashion as packhams but with far more emphasis on keeping the stem intact, with larger sized pears it may also be necessary to hold the weight of the pear with you other hand. ... POACHED PEARS. Harvest & Availability: Packhams Triumph can store for +4 months in the right conditions, so has a reasonable availability on European markets. One advantage with the industry being so localized is that the price per bin as far as I am aware is fairly consistent from farm to farm: expect $36 or more per bin. Once again care must be taken not to scratch the skin although if the tree has been pruned properly this should be easier than with the Williams’. Sometimes, a useful trick is to forget the pole and lean the ladder directly against the trunk of the tree. . A nice full bin like this one should earn you around 36$. April to August: South Africa, Argentina, Chile. Most farms will give you a tractor and modified trailers for your bins. Asian pears are super crunchy, more like crisp apples than other pears. Although you may find better apple picking elsewhere in Australia they often pick them directly after the pears and this can be a very useful extension to the season. If left on the tree, pears ripen from the inside out and, by the time they seem to be at the ripe stage, they are beyond it — usually mushy with a mealy texture beneath the skin. What I feel is important is to find the number of bins you are capable of picking a day and sticking to it. United States Department of Agriculture zones 5 and 6 harvest around August. The fruit shape is conical and slightly irregular, and the skin has occasional russet.