I enjoy canning! I love taking a box of fruit or vegetables and transforming it into something
that tastes wonderful. My latest endeavor this all has been pears. Last weekend I bought
a 28-pound box of pears and let them ripen in the garage throughout the week. Sunday afternoon
and Monday evening that box of pears became Pear Honey, Mincemeat, and Pie Filling.
Pear Honey is called “Goop” by my family. It is a favorite on pancakes, waffles, and French toast.
In fact, we had French toast and bacon for dinner so we could sample the new batch.
My recipe is adapted from an old recipe in an out-of-print Kerr Canning Book.
9 cups pear puree (about 3 to 5 pounds)
1 15-ounce can crushed pineapple, canned in juice
Grated rind and juice of about 3 limes
5 cups of sugar
Peel and core pears. Slice and puree in a blender or food processor. Measure 8 cups of puree into a large pot.
Leave 1 cup of pear puree in blender; add the can of crushed pineapple with juice and blend until smooth. Stir pineapple mixture,
lime rind, and lime juice into the pear puree. Add sugar and cook over low heat, stirring frequently.
Bring to soft boil, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars. Put on cap and screw on band.
Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Yielded: 5 pints and 5 half-pints.
Pear Mincemeat is a delectable mix of chopped pears, raisins, and spices. It is a wonderful
condiment for pork roast or yummy filling for tarts or filled cookies. While it cooks, the house
smells heavenly. I adapted this recipe from another out-of-print Kerr Canning Book.
3 1/2 pounds pears
1 lemon
1 pound raisins
3 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup vinegar
Wash pears; drain. Peel, core and rough chop the pears. Quarter the lemon and remove all seeds. Place in a food chopper
and finely chop the fruit and rind. Combine all the ingredients in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat;
reduce heat; simmer for 30 minutes.
Ladle hot mincemeat into hot jars. Make sure there are no air bubbles. Put on cap and screw on band.
Process in boiling water bath for 25 minutes. Yield: 4 pints and 1 half-pint.
If you have never had Pear Pie, you have missed an amazing, sweet treat.
My favorite way to bake it is to add a cup of dried cranberries to the pie filling before I bake it.
It takes like autumn! My recipe was adapted from an out-of-print Ortho book
The Complete Book of Canning. I’ve been using this recipe for nearly twenty years.
About 12 pounds of pears
1 box of quick-cooking tapioca
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups sugar
Water
Peel, core, and slice fruit. I place the pears in a large bowl of water with some lemon juice
to prevent browning. You should have five quarts of pears. In a small mixing bowl,
combine tapioca, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and lemon juice; reserve.
Rinse pears, measure, and place in a large pot with the 4 cups sugar. Add just enough water
to prevent sticking and scorching (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups). Heat to 190 degrees, stirring frequently.
Do not boil.
Add reserved tapioca mixture and, while stirring, reheat to 190 degrees. Again, do not boil.
Pour into clean, quart jars. Seal. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Yield: 6 quarts, each quart makes one pie.
I hope you’ll try some of these recipes and enjoy these wonderful pear concoctions.
As you can see by the cookbooks from which I have adapted them, these recipes have been around a while.
They are tried, tested, and family approved!
My boys keep telling me that food is my “love language.”
Canning is one way to be able to share that love by sharing and gifting my jarred creations.
Sharing my heart for home,
