How to Store Pears
Pears are picked mature but usually ripen after harvest, making cool storage particularly useful. Choose sound, unbruised late varieties with their stalks attached, and handle them gently. Store only dry fruit; any split, marked or windfall pear should be eaten or preserved first rather than placed with the keepers.
Best storage conditions
Keep unripe pears at 0-3 degrees C in a dark, frost-free, airy place with fairly high humidity. A cool shed, garage, cellar or sheltered porch can be suitable if it remains above freezing. Use slatted racks or shallow trays so fruit is not touching. Avoid damp, stagnant air and do not store pears beside potatoes, onions or strongly scented crops. Bring fruit indoors only when ready to ripen.
How long it keeps
Depending on variety, pears may store for 1-4 months before ripening. Check them every few days once they are brought into a warmer room, as ripening can happen quickly. Stored pears should be inspected weekly; remove any fruit that softens unevenly, bruises, leaks or develops mould.
Storage methods
Pick pears carefully while still firm, ideally in dry weather, leaving the stalk attached. Do not wash them. Sort out windfalls and marked fruit for immediate cooking. Place only sound pears in a single layer on slatted apple racks or shallow trays in a cool, dark, frost-free shed, garage, cellar or porch. Individual paper wrapping is useful where space is limited, provided the fruit remains airy. Keep varieties labelled and separate. To ripen, move a few pears at a time into a cool room indoors and use them when the neck yields gently near the stalk.
Preserving
Pears freeze well when peeled, cored and sliced for crumbles, sauces and desserts. Poached pear halves or purée can also be frozen in portions. Drying slices gives a convenient sweet snack or baking ingredient. Pear chutney, jelly and bottled pears are practical for a glut, provided you follow a trusted preserving recipe. Use overripe fruit promptly for cooking rather than long storage.
Tips
Pear ripeness is judged at the neck, not by squeezing the rounded base, which causes bruising. Keep a small batch indoors to ripen and leave the rest cool, so they do not all become ready together. Never store damp fruit. Regular sorting is essential: one rotten pear readily spoils its neighbours.
Storing Pears: frequently asked questions
How do I store pears?
Pick pears carefully while still firm, ideally in dry weather, leaving the stalk attached.
How long does pears keep in storage?
Depending on variety, pears may store for 1-4 months before ripening.
What are the best conditions for storing pears?
Keep unripe pears at 0-3 degrees C in a dark, frost-free, airy place with fairly high humidity.
Store only sound, dry produce and check regularly. For bottling and preserving, follow a trusted recipe. Page updated 19 Sep 2026.