Perry:

I haven't canned pears for many years, but I think the general answer to your question is yes; pears need the cold treatment not only to develop proper texture, but also their flavor.

It will be tricky to get the timing right. It is already tricky enough to figure out the optimum time to pick and refrigerate the pears. You will also have to decide when the pears have softened up after refrigeration just enough to go through the canning process, and I think they should be more firm than would be desirable for fresh eating. You don't want them buttery soft if they are going into a water bath canner for 30 minutes.

I think the variety will influence to some degree the suitability of your pears for canning. Bartlett is the classic canner, and the one used most commercially. I canned Flemish Beauty, and did so before they really softened much. As a result, I think, they lacked the full flavor that this variety is capable of delivering. I also canned Asian pears once, but the final product was too sweet and lacking in acidity, so I never tried it again. Texture was good though.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA