yellow pears getting out of hand and NOT RIPE!!!!

[Dixana]

My three yellow pear plants have now taken over a hue expanse of yard, garden, and pretty much anywhere else they can grow. It is obscene how huge they are! They are also covered in fruit, around 500 tomatoes, and no that is not a typo. My issue is not A SINGLE ONE is ripe yet. Some of them are the size of golf balls and seem to continue growing but staying green.
We've had lots of rain, but lots of hot, humid, sunny days equally.
I'm concerned that there are tons more blossoms and no toms ready to pick yet! How many maters will these things produce? Will they EVER get ripe??

[applestar]

Sounds like you'll be making yellow tomato sauces. I think they're lovely. I'm growing a bunch of Yellow Bell tomatoes which are intended for saucing. Just starting to ripen now, but this one, also heirloom, is very prolific as well.

Yellow Pears are more of a salad tomato right? Maybe you can make yellow tomato juice. Won't that be fun to serve for breakfast instead of orange juice?

[Dixana]

They are small, like a cherry, but pear shaped. I've never seen them get as big as some of mine are.
They are my favorite "little" tomatoe. Bite size, sweet, and low acid. I usually just eat them but obviously I'm going to have to come up with some other ideas this year!
I'm wondering how they would be in a sweet salsa, like mango.....

But really, how long does it take them to ripen? Are the plants too busy making more fruit or something?

[applestar]

You could dehydrate them too. Just cut in half and cut out the stem end if you like.

I have Sugar Plums which are grape tomatoes. I grew them out from seeds from store bought tomatoes last year and ended up with one kind that has exactly the elongated grape-shaped and sized fruits and another kind that is the same size but has a pear-ish shape. Both extremely sweet and flavorful. I'm growing seeds from last years fruits and they have retained their excellent flavor.

Anyway, when I was inundated with them last year, I halved, de-stem ended and dehydrated them to soft/chewy consistency, and they turned out kind of like raisins. The kids loved them for snacks. I also made grow-up version that were marinated in red wine overnight then dehydrated. I bet Yellow Pears would be good marinated in white wine

[Dixana]

Hmmmmm, yellow pear toms simmered in white wine sauce with chicken.... Assuming they ever ripen that is

[jal_ut]

But really, how long does it take them to ripen?

That's a darned good question. I ask the same thing every year about any variety of tomato. I can grow very nice green tomatoes, but they never want to ripen. I end up ripening them under covers after it has frozen. They will ripen eventually. You are going to have a nice harvest. Enjoy!

PS you are making my mouth water...........

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Our 1 yellow pear plant was the last cherry type to ripen. But when they did ripen, they did so within a week and I had OVER a gallon of pear tomatoes from just 1 plant!!! I ate some and I dehydrated some. I documented the dehydrating process on the recipes folder down at the bottom of the forum home page. They turned out nice. If I had a do-over, I would have soaked them in some kind of sweet wine prior to dehydrating, like Apple had suggested. My DH wouldn't eat them regardless of the method, so next year I'll prolly roast them and make yellow sauce with them. There is a recipe for sauce there too. I'm sure you'll have at least 19 pounds of pear tomatoes

[kgall]

I have 31 tomato plants all of which have numerous tomatoes! I have had one cherry tomato ripen but none of the rest look like they are anywhere near ripening! My grape tomatoes are getting so big they are starting to look like plum tomatoes! And the big boys are HUGE!
I am running out of patience! (Especially after eating the one ripe cherry!)

[garden5]

Give 'em time. From the looks of it, they take a while to ripen. I have cherry plants that are just starting to ripen and they went in the middle of May. If you're in zone 4, I presume you planted yours about that time or later.

If, in the worst case scenario, they don't ripen, you can always pick them before a frost comes and just ripen them indoors.

[TZ -OH6]

Yellow pear tomatoes are listed as 75-80 days to maturity, which puts them around the first week of August for me when planted June 1st it the weather has been good.

[Dixana]

I found six ripe ones yesterday andone today They're finally starting to go. Next year I am DEFINIATLY staking and pruning them though. I'm wondering how big they would get in a longer growing season if just left to their own, my three plants are now taking up about 12x20 foot area and have sprawled everywhere.
I found the poor watermelon I planted next to them today I honestly though it had died but there it is, darn near three foot long vines. Don't know how the poor thing survived under there but I moved as much of the mater off it as I could.

[garden5]

I found six ripe ones yesterday andone today They're finally starting to go. Next year I am DEFINIATLY staking and pruning them though. I'm wondering how big they would get in a longer growing season if just left to their own, my three plants are now taking up about 12x20 foot area and have sprawled everywhere.
I found the poor watermelon I planted next to them today I honestly though it had died but there it is, darn near three foot long vines. Don't know how the poor thing survived under there but I moved as much of the mater off it as I could.

That's how it will start: one ripe, two ripe, four ripe....20 ripe. Before you know it, you'll be making gallons of yellow tomato sauce.

[lorax]

You can also use them to make yellow bhoona - peel them and simmer them in a large saucepan with curry, turmeric, and cumin, then once you've got a good sauce going, throw in some chicken and let it simmer. Oh, so good, especially with coconut rice or fresh roti....

[LindsayArthurRTR]

You can also use them to make yellow bhoona - peel them and simmer them in a large saucepan with curry, turmeric, and cumin, then once you've got a good sauce going, throw in some chicken and let it simmer. Oh, so good, especially with coconut rice or fresh roti....

Oh GAH! That sounds SO yummy!!!

[lorax]

It's also ridiculously easy and fast to make.... I like to carmelize red onions in the pan before starting the tomatoes on to simmer - it adds another depth to the flavour of the sauce.