Coring a large amount of pears

[oppyland]

On very short notice I am now the proud owner of a 55 gallon drum or so full of late season pears. Of course I'm going to make wine out of them.

It sounds like there are more where those came from, and I'll likely be able to harvest them in the future, so I'm looking into efficient methods for processing them.

Short of using a knife or one of those kitchen gadgets that cut them into wedges, is there a good and fast method for coring them?

 

[Raptor99]

If they are soft enough, you can use a knife to cut them in half, and then use a spoon to scoop out the core.

 

[oppyland]

If they are soft enough, you can use a knife to cut them in half, and then use a spoon to scoop out the core.

Thanks for the quick reply! Yes, that's pretty much how I do it with the ones from my trees, but I'm really looking for something less labor-intensive. The thought of using a paring knife on 10,000 pears gives me the willies!

 

[toadie]

It might be easier to try and make perry (pear cider). But you need to grind them them, press them, maybe more work or beyond the tools you have. Good luck!

 

[oppyland]

It might be easier to try and make perry (pear cider). But you need to grind them them, press them, maybe more work or beyond the tools you have. Good luck!

I've got a line on a chopper and bigger press. Will that work okay? I was worried about leaving the cores and seeds. Thanks!

 

[toadie]

I've only done it once so far but used a garburator. I had to cut some in half. It might also be useful to freeze them as some on this forum have suggested. I didn't have pears this year so will try next year hopefully.

 

[hounddawg]

when i do pear from my yard, they are late season, i freeze them, then drop them in my ferment barrel. dump in pectic enzyme , my steel stirrer after thawed, yes it will be messy. i press them ,, and it comes out very good to me and them around here,,,
Dawg

 

[oppyland]

Unfortunately, given the volume, freezing really isn't an option.

 

[cideriswine]

Pressing ripe pears is a hassle. When you grind them, they turn to a mush that won't give up the juice. There's no need to remove the core. There are some small orchards in my area that make a pear cider, but I'm sure they are grinding/pressing before they are fully ripe. The best way I've found is to freeze pears when ripe, then partially thaw and place in the press whole. If you can't freeze them get them processed and pressed before they are fully ripe.

 

[toadie]

Hey @cideriswine dumb question probably. but do you use mesh/fabric in the press to hold the pears?

 

[glennwing]

I too treat my pears like apples. run them thru my Apple grinder then put Them in a mesh bag and press. They are messier than apples and the juice tends to have more solids but this settles out during fermentation. The trick is to press them at the point they are ripening but still fairly solid.

 

[oppyland]

Thanks for the suggestions! I was mostly worried about off taste from the cores and seeds, but if that's not a concern I'll just chop and press.

 

[Tessa999]

If you'd like to save yourself some work and avoid some possible unpleasant nones from the seeds (when you chop you split seeds) I would advice freezing, thawing, adding enzymes and straining. No chopping required (it's what I'm doing right now)

 

[oppyland]

Yeah, freezing is my preferred option, but I don't have anywhere near enough freezer space for 500 lbs of pears.

 

[cenk57]

I do it every year with a couple hundred pounds of pears. I run them through a Weston apple crusher (I found on Facebook marketplace for $40) with an attached electric motor. I've never cored them, however I have had to cut some of the bigger pears in half so not to jam the crusher. I only takes about 20-30 mins to crush 100 pounds of pears. I then press them with my manual press. My small press always holds me up. I need to upgrade one day soon! Never had any issue with them releasing juice. I typically get 6-7 gallons per 100 pounds of pears - which I think is pretty good, lol. Pear wine is nice and delicate, great with a little sweetness added.

 

[oppyland]

Pear wine is nice and delicate, great with a little sweetness added.

Thanks for the info - that's exactly what I'm going to do. I agree, with a little backsweetening my pear wine has been a big hit in the past. In fact, that's why I suddenly have a huge quantity of pears!

 

[franc1969]

I have seen a few people ferment the fruit and then press, most press first and only ferment the juice. Grind and press away, i would not be concerned about the seeds if not fermenting fruit. Rack and cloth is better at removing the pulp, but a regular press is fine. Just use a liner screen or bag if opening of basket is not small enough. Speidel made their hydropress to run apples, after all.

 

[Venatorscribe]

I too treat my pears like apples. run them thru my Apple grinder then put Them in a mesh bag and press. They are messier than apples and the juice tends to have more solids but this settles out during fermentation. The trick is to press them at the point they are ripening but still fairly solid.

Same technique. I used to ferment on the pulp then press through a strainer. But over the last two seasons I’ve moved to grind, pectinase and k meta soak then press. Now I at least have a more accurate idea of the characteristics of the juice as I ready it up for fermentation.

 

[hounddawg]

500 lb SWEET
Dawg

 

[Ivywoods]

My neighbor keeps telling me to harvest the pears from another neighbor that doesn't want them so I can make wine. (Maybe he wants me to make wine for him, which I would gladly share.) However most of the posts I read here talk about pressing the pears. I don't have a press. I know they have a lot of pulp. I would freeze them first. What would be the best method for me to use ( a simple method) considering I don't have a way to press them. I guess there are hundreds of them over there.