When should I harvest pears?

Question:

When should I harvest pears?

Answer:

Pears should not be allowed to ripen on the tree.  If the fruit are left on the tree to ripen, stone cells develop in the fruit, giving the pears a gritty texture.  Tree-ripened fruit also will be poorly flavored.  Harvest pears when the color of the fruit changes from a deep green to yellow green. The fruit will still be firm, not soft, at harvest.