I have enjoyed the H&D pears for several Christmases now, but this year’s were bad.
In terms of washing and storage, I treated them the same as in the past. The skins seemed leathery and tasted bitter. The flesh was mealy, and not very sweet. Fortunately, this time there were only six of them, because the last two were on the verge of rotting.
I didn’t hang onto the packaging, so I can’t register a complaint; besides, I realize that produce quality can vary from year to year.
I’m just wondering if other folks were similarly disappointed. I know that 2015 brought odd weather to the Pacific Northwest. For most of the fall, here in the Boston area, Bartlett pears were priced low, usually 99 cents/#, and they were very good. I assume that wherever they were grown, it was a bumper crop. H&D pears are Comice - a variety whose supermarket version I have not tried.