Use it up · Fruits

Pears

Have extra pears? Here’s how to choose, store and prep pears, plus 6 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Pears ripen off the tree. Press near the stem: when it gives a little, it's ripe.

Best season: Late summer through fall. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Counter: Ripen on the counter
Fridge: 1 to 4 days once ripe
Freezer: 12 months, cooked

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

Slice for snacks and salads or bake with cinnamon.

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: pear. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Pears. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	57 kcal	3%
Protein	0.4 g	1%
Total fat	0.1 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.0 g	0%
Total carbohydrate	15 g	6%
Dietary fiber	3.1 g	11%
Total sugars	9.8 g
Sodium	1.0 mg	0%
Calcium	9.0 mg	1%
Iron	0.2 mg	1%
Potassium	116 mg	2%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 169118 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

6 recipes, the ones that use the most pears first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.