Sir, – I empathise with Fionnuala Ward (An Irishwoman’s Diary, May 19th) as she attempts to ripen pears.
The solution is in her article. Bananas come into Ireland green. They are housed in sealed units into which a gas, ethylene, is emitted. This gas ripens the green bananas to yellow to then be sold in our shops.
Fionnuala can buy a few green bananas, there will always be a few that get into the shops. If she puts them in a brown paper bag with a few pears, it should do the trick.
The gas, still on the green bananas, will ripen both pears and the bananas. Failing that, all might go pear-shaped. – Yours, etc,
RM Block
JOHN MCKEOWN,
King’s Channel,
Waterford.
Sir, – I sympathise with Fionnuala Ward’s plight about pears (An Irishwoman’s Diary, May 19th) but have a simple solution that I use regularly:
Peel the pears, trim the base and pierce all over with the tip of a sharp knife. Put in a microwaveable dish with some boiling water. Cook on high for four minutes, test and return to microwave for another three minutes approximately until cooked to taste.
If done the day before a delicious breakfast treat awaits and the recalcitrant pears are conquered. Enjoy. – Yours, etc,
CLARE BAILY,
Blackrock,
Cork.
