While the service pear as a shrub or tree in most gardens today is primarily intended to meet visual requirements, in earlier times it was mainly valued for its edible fruit. The berries are not directly poisonous when eaten raw, but processed products made by heating the berries are very digestible and tasty.

The fruits of the pear are edible

Harvest at the right time

Depending on the location and the weather, the fruits of the pear are usually ripe for harvest in June or July. Before that, they change color from a bright red of the still unripe fruits to a dark purple tone or an almost blue-black colour. In order to obtain products of optimal quality when processing the fruit, the fruit should not be harvested too early. But don't take too much time, otherwise you might be left behind. Many birds appreciate the fruit of the pear as a treat. Smaller shrubs in the bucket should therefore be protected from the danger of being eaten from the air with a net. Since some of the fruits of the pear only fully ripen gradually, you can sometimes harvest several times over a period of several weeks.

That is why the fruits of the pear should only be eaten fresh in moderation

The seeds of the service pear, like the leaves, contain small amounts of so-called cyanogenic glycosides. The gastrointestinal complaints that occur after the consumption of large quantities of chewed seeds due to the hydrocyanic acid that is split off can be unpleasant, but usually do not pose a serious health risk. In general, unchewed seeds of freshly eaten pear fruits are simply excreted by the human body undigested . If the fruits are fully ripe and eaten in moderation, the tannins, minerals and flavonoids they contain are said to have a positive effect on health.

Diverse possibilities for processing

The fruits of the pear can be processed in various ways and thus made more usable. Typically, the fruits are mainly processed into the following products:

  • jam
  • liqueur
  • tea

To enjoy pear tea, the fruits are simply dried immediately after harvesting. For a cup of tea, about a teaspoon of the dried fruit is then poured over 200 ml of boiling water. The fruits are then left to steep in hot water for about ten minutes before you can enjoy the tea with the typically marzipan-like aroma of the fruits.

Boil the pear fruits together with other berries

Most jams made from the fruits of the pear also contain other berries, as this allows for even tastier results to be achieved. Since the fruits of the pear themselves contain a lot of pectin, less preserving sugar is usually required than usual. When preserving jam from the fruit of the pear, simply boil down 600 g of the fruit of the pear together with 400 g of raspberries or currants using around 500 g of preserving sugar.

tips

The edible fruits of the pear are not only eaten by people, fresh from the tree or processed. Fruits are also high on the menu for many birds. Somewhat problematic is the fact that the birds like the berries when they are still unripe and it is therefore difficult to get ahead of them when they are harvested. So if you have planted the pear mainly because of its fruit and less because of its decorative appearance in the garden, it is definitely worth installing a bird protection net or other protective measures.

Category:

Trees