If you find yourself ready to make this pear salad in a couple days but your pears are still rock hard, speed up the ripening process by placing the pears in a paper bag with a banana, apple or kiwi, and fold the top of the bag over so it’s sealed.  These fruits release a lot of ethylene which will trigger the ripening in the pears.   You can also speed up the process by placing the pears in a warm, sunny place. To speed up the ripening process further, place the brown bag with the pears and other fruit in a warm place.