Too many pears? Never!

It was a dry summer so I limited my watering to four small areas of the garden.  The pear tree was one of them (along with the lemon tree, the zucchini and flower patch and the pumpkin that gave me 12 ripe pumpkins!).

I had also pruned the tree back significantly, removing dead and damaged branches, and aiming for a shape and height that Gardening Australia and many YouTube experts recommended. 

Despite the water, I did not think I'd get many pears, because I'd been thorough with the pruning. 

I netted half the tree, thinking to share the bounty with cockatoos and other parrots 

However, the little tree delivered - I picked nearly 20 kg of pears!

I even had ro prop branches up to stop them breaking.

What to do with 'too many' pears

Here's what I dd with them: 

• Pear crumble (a favourite fruit dessert) 
• Poached and preserved in Fowlers Vacola jars
• Baked / dried and frozen
• Stewed and served on porridge
  
• Sliced and served with cheese
• Eaten fresh and raw. 

They lasted weeks fresh, and I still have heaps in cupboards and freezer. 

Now I have to decide how to prune the tree for next year!