We have had a Comice pear tree for several years now. It was highly recommended by our friend Charles Custer, who had one in his back yard. The Comice is a gourmet pear, much nicer tasting than a Bartlett.
So this year our little tree finally produced three pears. I watched them grow all through the summer, and when they looked full-sized, I began testing them as Charles had instructed me: You gently lift and tilt the pear to see if the stem will easily break. If it resists breaking, then leave it on the tree.
One pear came off easily in August. It was a half-sized pear, and it was hard and green. I brought it into the kitchen where it got mixed up with some store-purchased pears, so it was eaten without knowing it was special.
The next two pears stayed on the tree through the month of September, then through October. I began to worry that they would fall off and be eaten by slugs or potato bugs. Then, in late October I remembered to check them. I went outside in my house slippers, through the wet grass, and discovered that the little pear came off easily, but the big pear hung on.
Monya and I sliced up the little pear and shared it, even though it still felt a little hard to the touch. It was quite tasty.
The other pear refused to let go of the tree. I tested it several days in a row, then forgot about it.
This morning I looked out the window to see the worst case scenario. The pear had fallen off the tree and was laying in the lawn. I immediately put on my shoes and went outside to retrieve it.
Sure enough, the pear had been eaten 1/3 of the way through by a slug. Since I was the bigger and the stronger, I took that pear away from the slug and ate the rest of it myself. I reminded myself that (as my son once told me) [a slug's] mouth is cleaner than a human's mouth.
That was the best tasting pear I have ever eaten! Yum! I can't wait for next year's crop to grow.
Oh, for you squeamish readers...I did wash off the pear before I ate it. Sorry, but no pictures. It wasn't a pretty sight.
