The French D'Anjou is a green, bell-shaped pear that's perfect for snacking, baking or sliced into salads. When fully ripe, the D'Anjou is so sweet and juicy. Unlike the green Bartlett, the D'Anjou does not change colour as it ripens. It remains green even when fully ripe. The trick is to check the neck by gently pressing it with your thumb. When the pear gives slightly, it's ready. Why the neck? Pears are climacteric fruit. They ripen off the tree and from the inside out, from the core outward. The slender neck is the spot on the pear closest to the core. If you waited for the pear�s fat bottom to give to gentle pressure, the pear would be overripe on the inside.