Goldens in a Pear Tree

My days of single-parenting ended when Carl returned from his trip.  The dogs, of course are happy that he's home.  They are also more than willing to tell him all the things that went wrong while he was away.  Todd of course being a Scottie and loyal to me keeps my secrets.  

Our Labor day was a quiet one spent at home. It was much too hot and muggy to do anything outside. But I decided today was the day I was going to follow the advice of some local gardening experts and pick the unripe pears off our tree instead of waiting a few more weeks. Its been a few years since we've had pears that weren't ruined by my nemesis the brown-marmorated-stink-bug, or just had enough to pick.

~Sheba, my pear-picking-companion~

You may know that pears are best picked green, and are one of the only fruits that don’t ripen on the tree. The pears in the picture below are all “green,” and are pretty hard. But since fruit produces a natural ethylene gas, I've put them into paper grocery sacks to soften and ripen them.

Sheba and Josh have been eating the pears off the tree for weeks now. How they have not gotten an upset stomach is anyone's guess.

~Sheba and Josh, Goldens in a pear tree!~

But I cannot wait to enjoy the first ripe pear. It always reminds me of an old wives tale that I've heard over the years says that the best way to eat a ripe and juicy pear is “naked in the bathtub so the juice can drip down your chin with abandon.”  I can and will definitely promise you that if I do this, you'll not be hearing about it.  How do you like to enjoy your pears?