I received this picture and note from a long-time TDE reader. I thought it worth passing along, in case you like pears and could use some free food:
"These are Keiffer pears, behind our house. The variety is an old fashioned one, bred for keeping over winter I guess. They're very crisp, somewhat grainy. People who like soft pears generally don't care for them, personally I like them. Also, they were the weapon of choice when my brothers got into pear fights. Supposed to be good for canning. People also wrap them in newspaper and store in cool areas for eating later in winter. The trees can be hyper-productive and the pears are huge--we have some that weigh about a pound each. Sometimes there are morel mushrooms underneath them.
"In the countryside, you can probably find people who have them and don't want them."
