French Butter Pears

When fully ripe, this pear is one the best for cooking. A relative of the D’Anjou, Fresh Butter pears have a very creamy texture with a sweet, succulent flavor containing a hint of lemon. This fruit’s green skin will take on a slight rusty brown hue as it begins to ripen. French Butter has been a traditional favorite for canning and baking; however it has lately gained popularity as a hand snack if eaten when fully ripe and soft.

This variety bruises very easily, so be gentle in handling. Judge a pear’s ripeness by how tender it is at the stem end. Pears will ripen at room temperature, though that may take several days depending upon how ripe at purchase. Unripe pears can be stored in a home refrigerator for several weeks; always keep ripe pears refrigerated.