Friday, September 17, 2010

Pears, maggots, and canning - oh my!

REWIND:  A few months ago I ordered 2 boxes of large pears from an orchard down in Orem (Stratton Fruit Growers) and I got them last weekend. They were still VERY green and I noticed that some had wormhole scars on the outside. "No big deal," I thought. I'm sure they sprayed or did whatever to avoid worm problems. That was the last I had thought about it.

FAST FORWARD: About 1/2 the pears are ripe enough to can today. After cutting 6 pears in a row, I begin to curse the orchard. Why? Because this is what my fruit bowl looked like. How many little white maggot/worms do you see? I'll tell you, 7! Ok then, scrap that 1/3 of the box. 

Don't believe me? See for yourself ... (warning, grossness is about to occur).



Some may say, oh, just cut around the bad part. I say - DISGUSTING! If it has any sort of worm or larvae in them, they are gone, chucked, disposed of, trashed. The whole thing! Seriously. Why would anyone think of using any part of a pear (or any fruit) knowing that it had a worm in it? Gross. Just plain GROSS. 

It's a good thing I really like canning. Cause let's be honest, 3 hours of canning to yield only 6 jars of not-so-tightly packed fruit is frustrating. Here's to hoping the other box is better.



4 comments:

Monica said...

Boo Stratford orchards! Especially when you ordered in advance and were all ready to go! That's the worst!!!

Mama Bear said...

I feel the same way about some peaches I ordered from the co-op. Grossed out and disgusted. I was all set to try and be "Mrs. Canner-Peach-Freezer-Jam-Maker-Extrodinare and the peaches were rotting from the pit out and mushy. Sooooooo gross!!

I hope your 2nd box is maggot free!!

Sugar & Spice said...

Wow- how disappointing!
The ones in the jars look gorgeous though!

Emily said...

Yikes!!! You must have a stomach made of steel! But at least you ended up with the best lookin' canned pears I've ever seen. :)