7 ms·
To be clear the ‘bletting’ process isn’t really rotting. There isn’t bacterial or fungal decomposition. Instead it is enzymes within the fruit which slowly reac
by dan-robertson 6y ago
To be clear the ‘bletting’ process isn’t really rotting. There isn’t bacterial or fungal decomposition. Instead it is enzymes within the fruit which slowly react with and transform it. This isn’t wholly dissimilar from normal fruit ripening which can happen after the fruit has been picked.
- Angostura 6y agoMy favourite line from the article: "The process is known as "bletting", a word made-up by a botanist who noticed there wasn't one in 1839."
- fy20 6y agoHow is this different from ripening? Many commercial fruits are picked unripe, then during transportation (it takes bananas up to two weeks to travel from South America to Europe) they ripen off ready for sale.
- detaro 6y agoMaybe I'm getting it wrong, but it sounds like this doesn't happen on the plant if you just let it be, whereas ripening does? (we just pick stuff unripe to gain transportation time)
- scottlamb 6y agoThere are at least a few classes of fruit in terms of ripening. * Non-climacteric fruits will only ripen on the plant. Strawberries are like this. They can turn more red after picking, but it's deceptive. They don't actually get sweeter. * Most climacteric fruits will ripen either on or off the plant. I think bananas and apples are like this. * Some climacteric fruits will only ripen after picking. Avocados are like this for sure. You have to wait until it's large enough to pick it (or it will never ripen) and wait a week or two after picking to eat it. Leaving it on the fruit for an extra week or two is no substitute for waiting after picking. There are probably other such fruits.
- SamBam 6y agoPears, too, only ripen properly several days off the tree. Took me too many years to discover this with my pear tree in the back yard.
- 3np 6y agoMaybe depends on the variety? Used to eat pears straight from the tree as a kid and they were sweet enough.
- SamBam 6y agoI believe it's most/all varieties. See e.g. https://usapears.org/pear-ripening-and-handling https://usapears.org/pear-ripening-and-handling However, I think many people are used to the taste of unripe pear - it's sweet enough, and quite crisp, and some people prefer them that way. As it sits on the counter, though, it becomes softer and sweeter over time.
- CogitoCogito 6y agoI was very surprised at the office that all the pears would be eaten up each week before they ripened. I mean sure it's a matter of taste, but I used to think everyone let them soften. The obvious solution was to grab them early and hoard them in secret until they were ripe.
- pvaldes 6y agoIt depends a lot, yes. There are two class of European pears classified by flesh texture: The 'beurre' type and the 'water' type. The beurre are very hard and dry first but then mature to a fine and almost fatty texture that melts in the mouth. Some can store well in cave for several months. The water pear type is juicy and much softer in all stages and is unsuitable to store more than a few weeks in summer.
- Angostura 6y agoYou pick a ripe Medlar and you pack in in sawdust - it undergoes something that is closer to decomposition than ripening (but isn't).
- slim 6y agoI suspect this is relatively new technology and the bananas have been engineered for that purpose in the 20th century.
- michaelcampbell 6y ago> a word made-up by a botanist who noticed there wasn't one Aren't ALL words made up?
- andrewflnr 6y agoProbably not. Certainly the vast majority were not deliberately made up within recorded history.
- ksherlock 6y agoOr dry aging beef.
- whyenot 6y agoYes, it’s not rotting, just ripening, the same as the process (astringent) persimmons. Describing it as “rotten” is being a little overly dramatic.
- pvaldes 6y agoI think that bletting involves frost and defrost also. I could be wrong. The trick does not work so well in Persimmon.
- nkurz 6y agoAmerican Persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) actually respond well to a few freeze-thaw cycles. Despite myth, they don't require it for ripening, but they aren't hurt by it they way that Japanese kaki are.