Pears
Peak season in the Midwest · up 1% this week
This fruit is at its local-harvest peak from August through November, and is sold in stores year-round. This week it's peak season in the Midwest — buying it in season usually means better quality and, as the regional prices below show, a lower price.
Per a typical 178g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Pears, raw).
- 1 SouthcentralCheapest $0.50/lb
- 2 Southwest $1.77/lb
- 3 Northwest $1.79/lb
- 4 Midwest $1.94/lb
- 5 Northeast $2.07/lb
- 6 Southeast $2.16/lb
Buying pears in the Southcentral saves about 77% versus the Southeast this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Pears ripen from the inside out and are picked hard on purpose, so buy them firm and ripen them at home. Check ripeness at the neck near the stem: when it yields to gentle pressure, the pear is ready. By the time the body is soft, the middle is mush.
- What a good price looks like
- Bartlett and Anjou run $1.50 to $2.50 a pound and are cheapest from August through December. Under $2 is a good price. Bosc holds its shape best for poaching and baking and usually costs slightly more; for anything raw, buy whichever is cheapest and ripen it at home.
- What you actually get
- A pound is about three medium pears and gives roughly 2.5 cups sliced. Core and stem are around 10%; the skin is thin enough to leave on for most uses. A pound poaches down to about 2 cups of soft fruit.
- How to store it
- Ripen on the counter, then refrigerate to hold them for another three to five days. Refrigerating a rock-hard pear stalls ripening indefinitely.
- In the kitchen
- Pears are the one fruit that genuinely ripens better off the tree, and they ripen from the inside out — so by the time the outside is soft, the middle is mush. Check the neck near the stem with a thumb, which is where it softens first, and ignore the body. Buy them firm and give them two to four days on the counter.
- Getting the most out of it
- The window between underripe and overripe is narrow, so buy a few at different stages. Firm pears poach and roast well and hold their shape; only fully ripe ones are worth eating raw.
- Pear and Plum Puff Pastry Tart with Blue CheeseRecipe by Foodie Crush~$0.70 / serving 2 in-season
- Cranberry Pear Crumble PieRecipe by Sally's Baking Addiction~$0.83 / serving 2 in-season
- Cinnamon Apple Pear CrispRecipe by Sally's Baking Addiction~$0.94 / serving 2 in-season
- Leftover Turkey Tacos with Brussels Sprout SlawRecipe by Skinnytaste~$0.97 / serving 4 in-season
- Sweet Pear and Rosemary Honey with Havarti Grilled CheeseRecipe by Foodie Crush~$1.25 / serving 2 in-season
- Red Wine Poached PearsRecipe by The Mediterranean Dish~$1.35 / serving 2 in-season
See all 73 recipes with pears →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA National Retail Report. Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Pears — FAQ
When can you buy pears in season?
This fruit is at its local-harvest peak from August through November, and is sold in stores year-round. This week the Midwest has pears marked peak season.
What's the price of pears right now?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of pears in the Midwest is $1.94/lb, up 1% from last week. It's cheapest in the Southcentral at $0.50/lb.
How many calories and how much protein are in pears?
A typical 178g serving of pears has about 101 calories, 0.7g protein, 27.1g carbohydrates, 0.2g fat, and 5.5g fiber, per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I make with pears?
SeasonSort indexes 73 recipes that use pears, each with its cost per serving computed from this week's prices — starting from about $0.28 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.