It's been holiday season at Trader Joe's for a while now, with flavors like gingerbread, peppermint, and cranberry making people happy. There's a lot of talk online about the grocery store chain's seasonal items, and a lot of it is about a limited-time fruit treat that's not a candy.
Trader Joe's customers have posted pictures of Harry & David Comice Pears on social media. These pears come in boxes that are perfect for giving as gifts this holiday season.
Shoppers say that each box, which costs $9.99 (or $10.99 in some places), has three to six pears inside. Harry & David, on the other hand, makes food and gifts and sells a six-count box online for $39.99.
"These pears are very big, juicy, and tasty. Without a doubt high grade. "They cost $3.33 each, but they were a real treat," said someone else.
Several shoppers said to wait until the fruit was fully ripe to get the best flavor from the pears. One person said that if the fruit was cut too early, it would be "overly crunchy and tart."
In the pears' ripening instructions, it says to take them out of the fridge a few days before eating them. It's best to keep the fruit at room temperature (65 to 70 degrees) and check on it every day.
It's time to eat the pears when "the flesh near the stem yields slightly to gentle thumb pressure." People can put the pears back in the fridge for a day or two to slow down the ripening process.
Unlike some other fruits, these pears' color does not show how ripe they are. It says on the label that Comice pears can look pale green even when they are ripe.
Reddit users are talking a lot about unique holiday items, and the Harry and David Comice Pears are just one of them. Fans of TJ's went online at the beginning of this month and gave the new Italian Tiramisu and Pretzel Bread Pudding five stars. Each item costs $4.49 and comes frozen.