Comice Pears Ripening Question

Question

I have two Comice pear trees which are currently bearing fruit. The fruit is not sweet. It is now August, height to summer here in Oakland CA. According to your article on winter and summer pears, Comice pears are a winter pear and the fruit has to be cold stored in order to ripen adequately. “Winter pears are categorized as such in relation to their time of ripening. They are harvested throughout autumn but are then cold stored. They need 3-4 weeks of cold storage to ripen.” So if I pick the fruit and put them in my refrigerator (is that cold enough?} for three to four weeks then these pears will become sweet enough to eat? Are all comice pears winter pears and do they all have to go through this cold storage process? Thank you for any help you can give me with this.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, most of your area is just outside of this tree's growing zone. It does not get cold enough to suit the tree. Your idea may sweeten them a little bit, but I'm afraid that the fruit may never reach its best quality in this climate zone.

Here is an article that will help you with the care of the pear:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/pear/comice-pear-tree-care.htm