Gather pear was cooked (4)
I believe the answer is:
reap
'gather' is the definition.
(reaping is a kind of gathering)
'pear was cooked' is the wordplay.
'was cooked' indicates an anagram.
'pear' is an anagram of 'REAP'.
(Other definitions for reap that I've seen before include "Use a scythe" , "Save harvest, glean" , "''As you sow, so you . . . .'' (4)" , "Get -- derive" , "Cut the corn" .)