Pear trees

[patience0830]

I need the size 18 for grey squirrels. The 24 works for mice and maybe chipmunks. Grey squirrels are an invasive pest in England where the traps are made and people are encouraged to kill as many as they can. I figure DNR people are keeping these out of the US, from watching the videos it looks like you could collect a lot of them in a days time. It's either that or somebody in the trap business here is paying to keep them out.

Conibears still work. Just gotta give 'em a reason to go through.

 

[bwframe]

Lotta options, with a proven design, for less than $3...

 

[MRockwell]

What about pear wine? Is that a thing? I used to be fond of pear schnapps, back in my drankin' days.

Pear wine is something I haven't tried yet, we seem to eat the pears as fast as they ripen.

I made some pear wine several years ago, I believe they were bartlett pears. It took a lot of pears for five gallons, I got the recipe from Jack Keller's site.
Won't be doing it again. No pear flavor to speak of. Same thing with the peach wine I tried.

I prefer pears fresh off the tree.

 

[bwframe]

I made some pear wine several years ago, I believe they were bartlett pears. It took a lot of pears for five gallons, I got the recipe from Jack Keller's site.
Won't be doing it again. No pear flavor to speak of. Same thing with the peach wine I tried.

I prefer pears fresh off the tree.

I wonder if there might not be a way to ferment the leftover cores and possibly peals? Maybe some kind of a hard cider made from these parts normally discarded?

Not sure how that works necessarily, but wonder if you couldn't save up a season's worth of these in the freezer and work on a concentrate from a larger batch?

Another idea might be to emulsify these leftover parts and dehydrate. To then later make your hooch from the concentrated leathers?


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[MRockwell]

I wonder if there might not be a way to ferment the leftover cores and possibly peals? Maybe some kind of a hard cider made from these parts normally discarded?

Not sure how that works necessarily, but wonder if you couldn't save up a season's worth of these in the freezer and work on a concentrate from a larger batch?

Another idea might be to emulsify these leftover parts and dehydrate. To then later make your hooch from the concentrated leathers?


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It's a possibility...the only thing I would be concerned about is any tannins or harshness from the seeds.

Somewhere(maybe on Keller's website) I saw where you could make a "second wine" from pressings or such. Unfortunately, Keller passed away in 2020 and his website is no more.

 

[Leadeye]

I wonder if there might not be a way to ferment the leftover cores and possibly peals? Maybe some kind of a hard cider made from these parts normally discarded?

Not sure how that works necessarily, but wonder if you couldn't save up a season's worth of these in the freezer and work on a concentrate from a larger batch?

Another idea might be to emulsify these leftover parts and dehydrate. To then later make your hooch from the concentrated leathers?


.

The gardener dehydrates apples in the fall and I make a wine called "scrapple" out of the peels and cores. Stronger flavor that regular apple, but good. Takes longer to clear as there's more solids in it.

 

[Leadeye]

Lotta options, with a proven design, for less than $3...

View attachment 206655

Following bwframe's suggestion, these are going out along the big barn and inside the garden. Baited with peanut butter.

 

[Leadeye]

It's a possibility...the only thing I would be concerned about is any tannins or harshness from the seeds.

Somewhere(maybe on Keller's website) I saw where you could make a "second wine" from pressings or such. Unfortunately, Keller passed away in 2020 and his website is no more.

I got a lot of info from his site, his passing was a loss to everybody.

 

[MRockwell]

I got a lot of info from his site, his passing was a loss to everybody.

Agreed.
When I did a google search for "jack keller wine recipes" the first hit was from Susquehanna Wine Guild; It is a pdf of all his recipes(326 pages). So fortunately, his contribution will live on.

So speaking of wines...have you ever made pawpaw wine? I've got friends down in Dubois county that always talk about pawpaws, I've always wondered what a pawpaw wine would taste like.
This is the same clan that 15 years ago when I went to a wedding I was given some homemade wine that was dang good. Turns out it was beet wine. I would have never guessed.

 

[Leadeye]

Agreed.
When I did a google search for "jack keller wine recipes" the first hit was from Susquehanna Wine Guild; It is a pdf of all his recipes(326 pages). So fortunately, his contribution will live on.

So speaking of wines...have you ever made pawpaw wine? I've got friends down in Dubois county that always talk about pawpaws, I've always wondered what a pawpaw wine would taste like.
This is the same clan that 15 years ago when I went to a wedding I was given some homemade wine that was dang good. Turns out it was beet wine. I would have never guessed.

Paw paw wine is excellent, taste is like a mix of strawberry and mango. I used lalvin 1122 as the yeast and had no issues with it. When the paw paws are ripe they just crush into a paste when you squeeze them so just mash them over your must bucket and strain the seeds out after the primary fermentation. The peels just stay in your hand.

 

[indyjohn]

Just found this thread, Leadeye. Thanks for the info, the OG want to put some fruit trees out. @OkieGirl

 

[Leadeye]

Best of luck with them John.

 

[Michigan Slim]

The place I hunt down in Huntington has more pawpaw's than I've ever seen in one place. The fruit is about the size of a quarter right now. Bowels a little backed up? Eat pawpaws! Empty you out like a goose!
A buddy made some pear wine for us when we had a pear tree. It was like water with a very slight pear taste to it. Not a fan.
Allergic to bee stings? A pear tree is probably not a great idea. Ours drew in yellowjackets and hornets like crazy. Kinda creepy to pick up a pear and it would be buzzing and full of bees. I would smash them with a shovel before I mowed.

 

[tsm]

Pear wine is something I haven't tried yet, we seem to eat the pears as fast as they ripen.

Haven’t tried wine, but made a couple liters of pear liqueur two years ago and about six liters this year from our two trees. I’m not crazy about it, but the wife likes it.

 

[draftsman]

OP do the Moonglow pear trees require spraying for insects/disease?

 

[Leadeye]

OP do the Moonglow pear trees require spraying for insects/disease?

We have never sprayed them for bugs or disease and they look healthy. Biggest issue has been grey squirrels destroying the immature fruit.

 

[2in1evtime]

Wondering if pear shine would be good????

 

[mmpsteve]

We have never sprayed them for bugs or disease and they look healthy. Biggest issue has been grey squirrels destroying the immature fruit.

Have the same problem with the pecan orchard at our southern property. We wouldn't mind sharing a few pecan, but they start cutting them before they're even ready.

This is my setup: Camo burlap netting and a shooting chair, about 100 yards out, with a 17 HM2 CZ rifle. You're far enough away the surviving tree-rats can't really tell where you're at. They'll actually hop over their fallen comrades to get to the trees.

I imagine this would work well at shorter distance with a subsonic 22 round or suppressor. In the second pic, the pecan trees are beyond the telephone pole, and I've taken them from 75 to 140 yards with the 17 HM2.

I try to be behind the blind before sunrise. I've taken as many as 14 in one morning.





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[Leadeye]

Pears are just about ready, but the squirrels are continuing their raids. They contribute nothing to the orchard so I'm labeling them as socialists. As of 8/15 we'll start eating them after shooting them.

 

[Leadeye]

The gardener is running the pears through the juicer and making pear bread out of what is leftover. She's really wasting nothing.