Have you ever read Cynthia Rylant's book Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick Pears? It's a charming children's story in which an old man, Mr. Putter, is overwhelmed by his pear tree's bountiful harvest. He makes a sling shot an flings the pears over a bank of trees. A couple of days later, a little old lady, whose name I don't remember, brings Mr. Putter a whole bunch of baked goods and preserves made from pears that just magically appeared in her yard.

I need a neighbor like that. My pear trees have yielded a huge harvest. Yesterday I spent all day peeling, processing and baking with pears. We had pear and sausage Dutch Baby for supper, pear muffins for dessert, and pear preserves for later. I've given away baskets of this wonderful golden harvest and I still have a five gallon bucket to deal with. I refuse to go outside to look at the tree for all the newly ripened fruit that waits to be picked.

I need more recipes...or a sling shot. :-)

Laurel