They look like Bartlett's to me too (aka Williams).

They should be perfect for pear honey.

Carol

I would be surprised if it is Bartlett. I'm pretty positive we don't have enough chill hours for that one. The one on the back right is huge, nearly 3 1/2 inches in diameter. I was looking at pear honey recipes today since mom can't remember whether my grandmother (my dad's mom) drained the pineapple or not. Since she used hard pears it didn't have a really smooth consistency.

Her recipe was:
8 cups grated hard pears
4 cups sugar
2 cups crushed pineapple
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, halved or quartered
Grate pears, cover with sugar. Liquid will form. Cook pears until almost done. Add pineapple and cherries. Boil another 10 minutes. Add 1 package sure-jell. Put in jars.

I wondered about it before since that is not the usual order for sure-jell but it worked. It is supposed to be a little syrupy, I think.

I found a recipe on food network that doesn't use the pectin:
Ingredients

* 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple with syrup
* 16 cups (about 6 pounds) peeled, cored, and chopped pears
* 10 cups sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
*
* Special Equipment: 12 to 16 (1/2-pint) canning jars with lids

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook until pears are tender and mixture thickens, approximately 30 minutes. Transfer to sterilized jars and seal while still hot*.

*Cook's Note: Follow USDA guidelines for proper sterilization and canning procedures.

I might try it and add the cherries. Although, I don't really like the idea of using pineapple in syrup. I might buy pineapple in juice, drain it and reserve the juice in case I need it. I'll probably cut back the sugar to 8 cups also. Actually, I'll probably half that recipe if I try it.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pear-honey-recipe/index.html

I don't know how many chill hours you have in FL, but here in zone 9 in CA we grow lots and lots of Bartletts. Just spent a morning picking Bartletts that looked exactly like yours. 3 1/2 inches is not even all that big, I picked much bigger ones.

Don't wait until they are too yellow to can or they will turn mushy in the jar. A little greener is better.

Sharon

Well I looked at different maps and found that the UF shows up getting more chill hours than some others. Looks like we get 420-540 hours. So if they are bartletts they should soften up some as they ripen? The old timey pears grown in florida stay hard.

My brother's house was built in 1982. I don't know whether the tree has been there that long. It isn't super big, but then again it is being grown in a median.

If they are bartletts (or a bartlett-something else hybrid), they will soften as they ripen and it will happen rapidly.

I use bartletts in my pear preserves. I think of them as a delicate pear. You have to catch the moment with them or they're totally mushy, too soft for anything but pearsauce.

Carol

I've always used Keiffer (or Kieffer) pears for my pear honey. The texture of them is great for preserves, not so great for eating fresh.

Did you ever "name the pear?" This looks like mine and they don't turn yellow. I am going to can some in just a little while and was hoping to at least know their name. I have a tree of these and one tree with pears that are turning slightly yellow and a red spot.

Guides to Pear IDs:

http://www.epicurious.com/archive/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/visualguidepears

http://localfoods.about.com/od/pears/ss/Pear-Varieties.htm

http://usapears.org/pear-varieties/

Thank you digdirt2. I actually found two of these sites on my own and my pears look like none of them. They look just like these and just like hers after two weeks, are still green.

My understanding is that a pear that "drops off in your hand" is already ripe.

If they are too ripe when picked, they may be gritty, but they will still make great juice, which can be canned.

Yup, I picked these off the ground daily. 35 pounds so far!

Kieffer.