apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Instead of red wax on the stems, apples (and other fruits, vegetables) are sprayed with a wax barrier to keep them from spoiling - this gives them that unnatural shine as well.

This is done in the States, but in a different way - whole fruits are sprayed or dipped in thin, clear wax to keep them from ripening too quickly. Yet another reason to wash your produce before eating...

Stems on pears are especially important in ripening, though. I was always told you should never buy a pear without an intact stem because it would never ripen properly without it. I'd assume this has something to do with whatever amazing natural sensors the stem has inside!

My neighbors have pear trees and gave us a couple. They were rock hard and I wondered if they'd ever ripen. This morning I saw something gooey and shiny on my apples in our hanging basket. Sure enough, it's sugary pear juice that had erupted out of the stems and drizzled down onto my apples. I have never seen this before! It's true about the "one elusive moment" because now, the entire side of one is mush and the others don't seem much better. Sad!

HOW does one buy pears at the grocery store? Are they SUPPOSED to be so rock hard? I would love some pear-buying tips!

The trick, I think, is to immediately refrigerate the pears when they reach that "elusive moment". Leave them in the fridge until right before you consume them (ie don't take them in your purse to work--the 25 minute commute is too long and too rough on the skins). Once they're in the fridge, though, I've found that mine keep relatively well.