The Myth of the Sunny Sill
Putting fruit on a sunny windowsill is one of those habits passed down without examination. It looks right, it photographs well, and it does more or less nothing. What ripens fruit is warmth and the gas it gives off, not direct light.
A paper bag beats a sunny ledge
Folded loosely around a pear, a paper bag traps what the fruit is already producing and speeds the process considerably. It is unglamorous, it costs nothing, and it works in a dark cupboard.
Sunlight mostly fades things
A windowsill in July will soften skins on one side and leave the other untouched. The result is a fruit that looks ready and is unequal inside, which is worse than simply waiting another day.
Separate what is finished
Once something is ripe, move it away from the rest. One forgotten peach will carry a whole bowl past its best in a day, and the bowl is usually blamed for it.
Warmth ripens fruit. Light only fades it.
Part of an occasional series.