Pear-ific!

Please forgive me for that title. There's no excuse.

Unlike apples, pears will ripen after they've been picked, and it's often a good idea to pick them all unripe or else the birds and bugs will beat you to them. Some varieties (like Anjou's) require 30 days of cold storage to bring up their sugar level--isn't that odd to think about? That straight off the tree might not taste as good as ripened indoors? I wonder if the nutritional value matures as well?

At KVG they've got Bartletts, Bosc, and Anjou's. Lately we've been drying some and canning some sliced (the juice is divine!) I like pears just about any way you can have 'em--fresh, dried, and in this pear-ginger chutney.