# Pears



## ffemt128 (Sep 13, 2012)

I have a co-worker with 5 large pear trees, he offered to bring me in as many as I wanted. Does anyone have any experience with pears and can you suggest a recipe?

Thanks in advance.


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## Julie (Sep 13, 2012)

Freeze the pears, defrost the pears, don't add any water, add tannin, adjust acid and add enough sugar to get sg up to 1.080 - 1.090 and I use 1122 yeast.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 13, 2012)

Any idea on lbs per gallon or should I shoot for all juice?


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## Julie (Sep 13, 2012)

shoot for all juice.


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## Julie (Sep 13, 2012)

I found a couple of bags of pears that I didn't know I had so I have about a 2 gallon batch going, I'm thinking of playing around with this and try to replicate the flavor of a pear chess pie.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 13, 2012)

Co-worker said he can probably get 2-3 bushel baskets. I think I should be able to work with that.


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## Deezil (Sep 13, 2012)

I just put 35lbs of pears into fermentation about a week ago

These are Bartletts & i let them sit around until the skins went from green to yellow (riper than ripe  ) they're practically mush inside & the juice runs to your elbow

Just cut up everything but the cores.. I left the skins on - they're floating at the top still 

Pectic enzyme only does so much to pears though, from what i can tell... 2 out of the 3 gallons in my carboy appear to be sediment (and i added 2 gallons of water because it was apple-sauce-thick).. i even overshot the pectic enzyme some

I tried what Julie suggested, basically, but had to thin it out a little bit... I imagine i'll have a more delicate wine but its my first shot with pear & the sediment was nuts

Hope it helps a bit


Edit - i didnt have freezer space so that wasnt an option for me this time, but it might have helped


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## Rodnboro (Sep 13, 2012)

I just made 2 gallons of pear with straight juice. I sliced and froze mine and noticed after about a week they started turning brown. I soaked them as I sliced in water with lemon juice. When I thawed them, they browned a little more. I think I got to them in time though. The wine looks ok and smelled good at first racking.


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## Julie (Sep 13, 2012)

Rodnboro said:


> I just made 2 gallons of pear with straight juice. I sliced and froze mine and noticed after about a week they started turning brown. I soaked them as I sliced in water with lemon juice. When I thawed them, they browned a little more. I think I got to them in time though. The wine looks ok and smelled good at first racking.


 
Mine turned brown pretty fast as well but I am going to add ginger, vanilla and backsweeten with brown sugar so I'm not worried about the juice being brown.


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## Deezil (Sep 13, 2012)

I fermented in a carboy under airlock, and didnt have any browning.


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## Julie (Sep 14, 2012)

Deezil, I pressed my pears so I didn't have any of the mush to worry about like you did. Just pure juice so I didn't need to thin out anything.


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## Turock (Sep 14, 2012)

We just finished 200# of pears. Freezing really works well---makes a ton of juice.

The only thing we do different is to bentonite the primary and use 71B culture because it metabolizes the malic and makes a smoother wine. Pear can be a little harsh and take up to 2 years in the bottle to soften when using all juice. 71B does a great job on malic fruit.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 14, 2012)

Julie said:


> Deezil, I pressed my pears so I didn't have any of the mush to worry about like you did. Just pure juice so I didn't need to thin out anything.


 
This was my thought as well. Freeze the fruit, let it thaw then press.


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## Deezil (Sep 14, 2012)

Julie said:


> Deezil, I pressed my pears so I didn't have any of the mush to worry about like you did. Just pure juice so I didn't need to thin out anything.



I bet it worked, but if i had went that route i'd only have 1 gallon + top-up-change out of 30lbs  woulda been good stuff but...

Next year will be easier.. No moving - we gave away my winemaking freezer in the move so that'll get replaced & i'll have a decent press by then...
(Read: I didnt get to do what i wanted with the pears, but had to do something so they didnt go bad... Hence the clusterfudge i made of this and my peach batch  )

Anywho, im racking off the sediment today, i'll take a picture.. Maybe y'all can tell me if i lost any color from the water addition.. I dont think it hurt me much (still 10+lbs/gal)


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## dralarms (Sep 14, 2012)

I made a pear wine from dwarf pears this year, its very nice, but looks like motor oil in the car boy (color only).

I added water to mine. Yours will probably be fine.

Oh, took forever to clear.


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## saramc (Sep 15, 2012)

_I will be picking pears from 2 different varietals on Tues or Wednesday. Put a listing on an area Facebook page a month ago & was contacted and told that I could have all the pears I wanted. (Found out too late about having white peaches--will get those next year)._
_Just notified yesterday that I can come pick pears any time. The woman did not know what type of pears these were, so I will try and figure that out when I get there. Turns out one of my friends lives down the road from this woman, so she is going to meet me and help me pick. Excited!! I have planted my own pear trees in the meantime, but you know how that goes. _

_I will likely grab some Asian Pears from a nearby nursery and add those to the blend._

_Their is an enzyme that is geared for high pectin fruits, I believe it is called "Pearex Adex". And I know others have used "amylase" and report that it works well._

_You can also dose with regular dose of enzyme preferment and again when you transfer to carboy/airlock, or as long as you still have ferment going. Whatever is not utilized will settle out with no ill effect._


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## Arne (Sep 17, 2012)

I found enough pears this year to grind them some and run them thru the apple press. Seemed like it took a lot of pears, but would up with a bit over 5 gal. They are in the secondary now, havn't made up my mind but mite add a spice or two. We will see after it calms down some and clears a bit. Then it will be ready for the first taste and maybe a seal of approval. Arne.


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## Deezil (Sep 18, 2012)

After already straining out a basketball-sized bowl of pear sauce (like apple sauce, but pear), this is where i stand... I still cant believe it... There's 2 gallons of water in there, somewhere...


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## Deezil (Sep 19, 2012)

The top half is crystal clear.. The bottom half is pulp..

Now what?


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## Julie (Sep 19, 2012)

Deezil said:


> The top half is crystal clear.. The bottom half is pulp..
> 
> Now what?


 
Well you are going to have to rack it, keep the pulp and if you can put it in the frig, this should give you some more juice and this is going to take a couple of months. And keep workin at it, you know what to do,


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## Deezil (Sep 19, 2012)

Julie said:


> Well you are going to have to rack it, keep the pulp and if you can put it in the frig, this should give you some more juice and this is going to take a couple of months. And keep workin at it, you know what to do,



 i know 

I just keep 

Dang it 

Didnt consider the fridge, but theres no room anyways


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## Julie (Sep 19, 2012)

Deezil said:


> i know
> 
> I just keep
> 
> ...


 put them in several small bottles or quart canning jars! And another thing, what about making jelly out of the pulp?


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## Deezil (Sep 19, 2012)

Ah-ha! She's a thinker! ... I think we still have some empty quart jars..

We already have pear jelly though, and my mom wrinkles her nose at any of the pulp from my wine stuff... Basically, if its not over a year old already, shes got a wrinkled nose about it


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## ffemt128 (Sep 26, 2012)

I was told I should have my pears on Monday. My coworker said he and his wife were going to be picking them over the weekend. I'll post how much I get. Looking forward to giving this a try.


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## ffemt128 (Oct 1, 2012)

Well, I have 67 lbs of pears. I have no idea how much juice I will get from this but we're going to give it a shot.


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## ffemt128 (Nov 4, 2012)

Well after 2 days the 67 lbs of pears are thawed out. Going to head to the cellar after lunch and start the press. I'll post an update as to initial sg and yield from the pears later.


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## ffemt128 (Nov 4, 2012)

Well some of the pears were still frozen after 2 1/2 days of thawing. SO far I have 4 gallons of Juice that has a sg of 1.042. Have the pears back in the container to thaw and will press on Tuesday.


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## Winofarmer (Nov 4, 2012)

ffemt128 said:


> Well some of the pears were still frozen after 2 1/2 days of thawing. SO far I have 4 gallons of Juice that has a sg of 1.042. Have the pears back in the container to thaw and will press on Tuesday.




Keep us updated I have 60lbs.cored and cubed in the freezer waiting on me to get a press built !!!




Julie said:


> put them in several small bottles or quart canning jars! And another thing, what about making jelly out of the pulp?



Julie do you have a complete recipe you would share ???

Thanks


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## ffemt128 (Nov 6, 2012)

Well I finished pressing the pears. I ended with a total of 6 gallons of juice in my 7.9 gallon fermenter. Initial sg is at 1.080 right now. Pectic enzyme was added Sunday. Added energized and nutrient after pressing along with 2 tsp tannin, will pitch 1122 71B yeast later. Added 2 tbls acid blend. Ph was at 3.43. Will check acid and adjust post fermentation. Here's my helper from this am.


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## DirtyDawg10 (Nov 6, 2012)

Great pic! I see you called in some muscle to help with the pressing...


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## Fabiola (Nov 6, 2012)

Julie said:


> Freeze the pears, defrost the pears, don't add any water, add tannin, adjust acid and add enough sugar to get sg up to 1.080 - 1.090 and I use 1122 yeast.



Hi Julie!
Is there a difference if pears are frozen and then defrozen, instead of just starting the must with fresh pears from the tree? What would be the purpose of that?


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## ffemt128 (Nov 6, 2012)

DirtyDawg10 said:


> Great pic! I see you called in some muscle to help with the pressing...


 

She's my Assistant Winemaker.....


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## ffemt128 (Nov 9, 2012)

Been stirring the pears twice a day, nice active fermention going on. Smells wonderful so far. No noticible off smells that were mentioned in other posts. I'll check the SG again this weekend and if it's around 1.00 I'll transfer into carboys. Given the lower starting sg, this should make a nice light late summer/early fall wine. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out so I know wether to get pears again next year.


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## ffemt128 (Nov 13, 2012)

Checked the SG yesterday morning, it was sitting at 1.040. I'll check again tomorrow and determine when I'll be transferring.


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## Julie (Nov 13, 2012)

Fabiola said:


> Hi Julie!
> Is there a difference if pears are frozen and then defrozen, instead of just starting the must with fresh pears from the tree? What would be the purpose of that?



When you freeze the pears this helps in the breakdown of the fruit which in turn will produce more juice.


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## ffemt128 (Nov 16, 2012)

Here's a picture of the pear wine a day after being transferred into the carboy. It's only about 57 degrees in the cellar now so I anticipate longer clearing times.


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## ffemt128 (Dec 5, 2012)

Checked the pear last night. Almost totally clear at this point. I'm thinking I'll rack off the lees in a week or so and stabilize then allow to further clear for another 2 months. Looking good so far. Need to do a taste soon.


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## ffemt128 (Dec 13, 2012)

I'll post up a current picture this weekend. It is looking good. Needs racked off the few remaining lees near the end of the month then I'll stabilize.


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## ffemt128 (Dec 30, 2012)

Been a while since I updated this. I racked off the pear and stabilized today. I had about an 1/4 bottle so I added 1/2 tsp of sugar. Showing great promise at an early age. I need to check ph and acid but it seems to be on where it is now. I have 5.5 gallons stuck in the corner for aging until early summer.


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## the_rayway (Dec 30, 2012)

Looks like you all had some fun! 

Please keep us posted on how it turns out - I'm dying to try a pear wine, but I'm a bit concerned that many people seem to think it's a bit too mellow on the taste...?


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## ffemt128 (Feb 22, 2013)

I racked and kmeta'd the Pear again today. Crystal clear with good flavor. Pear taste is very mild. Tastes good dry but will benefit from a little back sweetening. I'm thinking 1.000, it's currently at .992


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## ffemt128 (May 3, 2013)

I pulled off a sample last night and back sweetened slightly. Pear taste is very subtle, good mouthfeel and body for a light fruit wine. I think I'm going to simmer down a quart of pear nectar and add as an fpac. Both my wife and I think it could benefit from a touch more pear flavor. After that I'll have to let clear again. This will likely be in the carboy for several more months before bottling.


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## Turock (May 3, 2013)

I didn't go back to the first part of this thread--so how old is this pear? Did you use water in the fruit? We always make pear wine with no water and the flavor is very good. But it takes quite some time for pear to firm up its flavor. Can take up to two years. 

That's not saying you can't use the pear nectar. But if this wine is young, you might want to be more patient and wait until it's at least one year old before evaluating flavor.


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## ffemt128 (May 3, 2013)

It was all juice with no water. Currently it is about 7 months old. The pears were not very flavorful to begin with but we decided to give it a shot since they were free. I have the nectar simmering now for the past 2 hours. Going to go for half original quantity then pour in.


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## Julie (May 4, 2013)

I had a bushel of pears given to me and I started a wine with no water added, left it age for about 16 months before I bottled. When I bottled was when I started to realize this just might be a good wine. Up until then there really was no pear flavor. I haven't tasted it since I bottled it and don't plan to until October this year, that will be the two year mark.


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## Turock (May 4, 2013)

ffemt----Bartlett is one of the best pears for flavorful wine. I know what you mean about some pears that aren't as flavorful. We've run into that too. There's not a thing wrong with what you're doing and it will work well, but after you add the nectar I think you should allow it to age for a time. 7 months is VERY young for a pear.

Julie---In our experience with pear wine, we found it's real primo at the 2 year mark. Have you ever found your pear made with no water as a tad harsh? The 2 years of aging makes it nice and mellow but we found that using a malic metabolizing culture like 71B does a real nice job on that harshness. Anymore, we only like using the Bartlett for our wines.


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## Julie (May 4, 2013)

Thanks Turock, I did hear that it takes two years for to come into it's own and I am glad you confirmed that for me. And yes I did use 71B, there was a harshness to it and I noticed that after 16 months some of the harshness had left and more of the pear was coming thru, it was because of this and someone telling me that it takes two years that I decided to bottled and just put it in a corner in the basement and forget about it until this fall.


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## ffemt128 (May 5, 2013)

Yes Turock. Im inteniding on leaving this in the carboy for at least another 5 months, most likely longer since I have the empties. I also used 71b yeast. Based on initial tastes im hopeful to be able to ger more pears this year. Hey, they were free.


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## Turock (May 5, 2013)

Julie---I agree with you that no matter how you make pear, it takes a LONG time to age. That's why we always try to make 5-10 gallons every year so that we always have some that is ready to bottle.

Another interesting thing to do with pear is make some cinnamon extract to make cinnamon pear--it's really good.


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## Julie (May 5, 2013)

Turock said:


> Julie---........Another interesting thing to do with pear is make some cinnamon extract to make cinnamon pear--it's really good.


 
LOL, I did think of that! I actually googled a pear chess pie to try and mimic that, it calls for cinnamon and ginger.


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## Turock (May 6, 2013)

Just get yourself a bottle of vodka and about 8 cinnamon sticks--extract works so well because you can adjust the flavor of the wine so readily. If you want to add ginger along with it, I'd be real easy on the ginger--pretty strong flavor. If you try it, let me know how it turns out--I really like making extracts for flavoring wines--gives you SO many optional flavors in your wine rack.


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## dralarms (May 6, 2013)

Please excplain the making extract.


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## Turock (May 7, 2013)

You can make all kinds of extracts. The idea here is that to extract the oils and flavors, you need a higher alcohol content than what your wine is. Cinnamon, especially, does not get intense enough to stand up in the bottle if you just put cinnamon sticks in the secondary. So you get a bottle of vodka, and put about 8-10 sticks in it. In about a month, you'll have an extract to backflavor your wine.

You can do the same thing with vanilla beans--about 8 vanilla beans to a fifth of vodka. Vanilla is really good on concord--and probably on many other red wines. For both of these extracts, use 1/2 oz. per gallon of finished wine.


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## ffemt128 (Jun 3, 2013)

I racked this off the heavy lees caused by the nectar that was added as an fpac. I now have 4 1/2 gallons of pear wine from 67 lbs of pears. The nectar took this to a near perfect sweetness and the pear flavor is now more noticable. I'm very happy with this for my first try at pear. I'll check the acid sometime this month and determine if any adjustments need made. As of now, it's pretty darn good.


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## Turock (Jun 4, 2013)

Boy, that sounds good. Let it age and clear up for you. We usually give out pear 1 year of aging in the carboy.


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## ffemt128 (Jun 4, 2013)

Turock said:


> Boy, that sounds good. Let it age and clear up for you. We usually give out pear 1 year of aging in the carboy.


 

I'm intending on letting this age until October. That will be just about a year before it sees bottles.


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## TommBomb (Jul 1, 2013)

Hey guys, everyone seems to be using a fruit press. I was going to use a steam juicer.. Any reasons anyone can think of not to use this method?


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## jamesngalveston (Jul 1, 2013)

your wine sounds like it would be excellent..
I love spiced peachs, and spice pears...that will be my next batch.
Turock, thanks for the info on the extraction with vodka...Will try that with spices for spiced peaches.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 19, 2013)

I racked the pear wine yesterday and added kmeta. It's been since June since it was last racked. If has a very subtle pear taste, could benefit from a tad more sugar. I'll experiment with that later at next racking. Has a nice light golden color. 

Hopefully if I get pears again this year they have more flavor. These ones were still very much hard but were falling from the trees.


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## Arne (Sep 19, 2013)

Mine came out with a decent pear flavor. Not real strong but you can tell it is pear. As with yours, a nice light color, will take very little sugar to backsweeten. Afraid the pears are not going to be here for me this year, maybe next year.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 23, 2013)

I spoke with my co-worker this am. He said he can get me pears again this year. He said he's going to wait until after first frost to pick them for me this year. I told him I'd take all he had....


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## ffemt128 (Oct 6, 2013)

I had the pear wineat 1.010 decided to sweeten some more. I ended up taking it to 1.016 and gave it a filtering today. Getting ready to sample the remains now. I have 4 gallons and just under a 1.5 liter bottle. Ill bottle on for my coworker aand drink the other.


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## ffemt128 (Oct 15, 2013)

I bottled my Pear Wine yesterday so that I could free up the 3 gallon carboy. It looks and tastes great. I need to make some labels now, well, I need to go buy some more labels now.


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## Arne (Oct 15, 2013)

Must of wound up really good. Mine should be bottled too, but just sitting there. One of these days I will get ambitious and bottle a bunch of wines up. Glad your wine came out good. Arne.


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## ffemt128 (Oct 15, 2013)

Arne said:


> Must of wound up really good. Mine should be bottled too, but just sitting there. One of these days I will get ambitious and bottle a bunch of wines up. Glad your wine came out good. Arne.


 

I should be getting close to 100 lbs of pears again this year. My co-worker won't pick them until after the first frost. Last year they were picked early since they started to fall. He said so far this year they are still on the trees. I'm looking forward to it.


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## mainecr (Oct 19, 2013)

I'm fortunate to have friends with orchards. So far we've made 3 trips for pears . First trip was 300 pounds of clap specials. 20 gallons of pure pear juice wine and 4 gallons of hard pear cider. The second trip was 400 pounds of Bartlett. Wine, pear blueberry hard cider, and canned Brandy pears. Friday we made the last pear run. My friend told me to bring a big truck. We did load over 700 pounds of Bosc pears in my Tacoma. We process tomorrow.


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## jamesngalveston (Oct 20, 2013)

I would eat myself to death..I love pears....not able to get any other then the grocery store....I envy u.


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## Laughinghag (Nov 18, 2013)

I sure am glad to have come across this post, I was thinking of making a spiced pear wine for next years Christmas gifts. I didn't realize it took 2 years for the best flavor. Looks like I will be making if for the following year.


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## ffemt128 (Nov 19, 2013)

Unfortunately I'm not getting pears. My coworker went down last weekend to pick for me and he said all the pears were gone. He said it almost looked like someone picked them because they were not laying on the ground either. Oh well. I have 15 bottles from last year's batch.


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