Don't Eat Rock Hard pears

Conceptually, eating food that's been picked in one place and shipped over ungodly distances already seems unappetizing. But there are also real nutritional factors involved (i.e., eat local when you can! plant a garden and fruit trees!)


From Realage.com
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We’ve all seen those hard-as-rock pears at the supermarket, picked well before their prime. Well, here’s a reason you might want to pass on them.

Or at least let them ripen on your kitchen counter before you bite. A pear (or an apple) at its peak offers something extra -- a special kind of antioxidant that only develops once it’s ripe.

Do It Ripe
We know fruits like apples and pears are chock-full of flavonoids. Now, research shows that when ripe, these fruits contain additional potent disease fighters: NCCs (short for nonfluorescent chlorophyll catabolites -- say that three times). As fruit ripens, chlorophyll breaks down and forms NCCs. And it turns out NCCs pack quite the antioxidant wallop!
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p.s. I'm not the hugest pear fan, but I do believe there are some sorts of pears that never get squishy, just the way there are several varieties of persimmon. Ask you friendly fruit seller.

Another bonus: pears don't feed yeast!