Summer has supplied a bumper crop of pears in our area. Thankfully-I had access to more than a few.
Granny’s Pear Preserves recipe has been handed down through her family. I like it-because it’s tasty-and so easy to make.
First peel the pears and then quarter, slice into slivers-as big or as small as you like
Place in bowl, pour sugar over, stir, cover, and let sit overnight in the frig (use 1 1/2 cups sugar for every 2 quarts of pears-you can use more or less sugar to taste)
After sitting over night-cook pears in large pot for 30 min. The pears will have made a little juice while sitting (the amount depends on how ripe your pears are) you may need to add additional water to the pot prior to cooking.
Ladle hot pears into hot jars, adjust 2-piece caps. Process 10 min in boiling-water canner.
Neither Granny nor I use the boiling-water canner. We just make sure the jars, caps and pears are all very hot. After putting the hot pears in the hot jars-they seal on their own. We’ve used this method for many years and have no spoilage.
The pear preserves are great over biscuits, warmed up and served as a side-dish, or straight out of the jar-that’s how the girls eat them. I take pleasure in thinking about women from past generations of my family making the preserves-almost as much pleasure as I get from eating them.
Each summer we put up food for the coming winter-but this summer I feel pressured to try and add additional supplies to our canning shelves. I’m sure the angst I’m feeling is due to the state of our economy. What about you-have you put up more than usual? Or maybe you’ve been adding a few extra items in the shopping cart each week?
Tipper
Reta-thank you for the comments!! Ive never used any sweetner other than sugar-but maybe someone else has and theyll chime in too. Have a great day : )
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
I think it would be wise for any and everyone to grow or buy or put up extras if at all possible. In the times we are living and everything the way it seems to be going we need to take advantage of getting things now while we are able and while it is available.God bless!
I picked some fruit that I call perapples. I can’t think of the real name for them but they taste much like a pear. I thought I would try to make preserves out of them.Do you know if I can use a sweetener like truvia or splenda,etc.? Will it work or will I have to use regular sugar? I am diabetic but if the sweetener won’t work I will use regular and let the rest of the family enjoy them anyways. Thanks!
Linda-Im not sure! Ive never had that problem-we have so many squirrels around that they take care of them!
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
what can you do with acorns? I have so many huge acorns and I hate raking them up and having to dispose of them.
I love pears and this looks pretty easy to make. I wish I had more time in the day.
I had great intentions — froze quite a bit of veggies from the garden this year — and then we lost our power (and freezer) for a week and had to throw it all away! I always used to can, not freeze, and now I know the benefits to going back to canning. The pear recipes sounds wonderful, and I have a neighbor with a beautiful pear tree that he never picks, so guess I’ll have to head over there and beg for some pears!
Pears are my favorite! My mom’s pears are just coming on..maybe she will share and I can try your recipe. Thanks!
We’ve canned and frozen a lot this year. Today we picked up our hogs from the slaughterhouse, so they are all smoked and cured, cut up and in the freezer along with the turkeys and veggies and fruit we put up this summer. Next week I will can pears, go nutting for hickory nuts and black walnuts and probably make apple butter. I made mincemeat this week and it’s delicious. I don’t have a stockpile of flour and grains (those pesky miller moths are an issue) because we don’t use a lot of bread. But we’ve got potatoes, corn meal and lots of other food to fall back on.
You and Granny really impress me with all the fruits and vegetables you put up. Those pears look delicious. I don’t have a big enough kitchen to try and can anything, but I have been buying a lot of dried beans and spices on sale. Love bean soup in the winter and make sure I have plenty available. Also buy Rice-A-Roni when it’s on sale and add tons of sauteed veggies to it. I share what I make with Andy, the elderly man on the third floor of my building. He doesn’t have many teeth left and he sure does appreciate these kinds of foods. He calls me Caroline, which makes me giggle. xxoo
Nothing like homemade pear preserves. Yum yum. A hot cat head biscuit filled with cow salve butter might be good too. Pappy
When I miss home I come here.Thanks.
Morning Tipper! Mmmmm. Looks so delicious! *laughing* The last time I canned anything was in Home Economics in grammar school. But it sure is a good idea right now.
Everywhere I turn, esp. in the supermarket, I hear sighs and complaints on the prices. Am praying things will change soon.
Have a wonderful day! Petra :))
Oh and I need someone to come and kill a few of my chickens for me.
I’d do it , but I went and did that silly little thing of naming them and getting all attached. Any volunteers? If there are I am not giving you my address!! That’s why my husband won’t let me have a pig! So what if I’ve already got names for them.
Yes! I have gotten weirder with my obsession with storing food. I have been hounding my husband for a cellar. (Surely there is a way to do it in sand land.) I want a
smokehouse! I have been told that I can’t have one because it doesn’t get cold enough here. Oh pooh pah, what’s a little salmonella/botulism among friends and family!! I have put up more canned/ freezer goods I am more like a squirrel. I feel like it is combination of the economy and you can’t trust food grown anywhere anymore.
It’s funny that you posted this now. My late mother-in-law made delicious pear preserves, but I never bothered finding out from her how she made them while she was alive. I was just talking to my sis-in-law about it a few days ago, and she shared with me how her mom did it. It was exactly the same as you shared. 😀
Hmmm…I’ve canned pears before, but never w/o the water bath. This sounds so much easier and less time consuming. I’m going to try it.
mmm sounds yummy! thanks for sharing! we put up so many jars of tomato sauce , it’s crazy! we had a huge crop of ’em this year!
What a wonderful tutorial! People like me need to see things being done instead of reading a recipe.
We’ve decided to spend an extra $10-15 dollars every shopping trip on things that will not spoil. I’m not an experienced canner so we don’t have home-canned things and figure that will be the next best thing.
Loving your posts! teresa
Your pears look and sound wonderful. I’d be spooning them right out the jar beside the girls! Those passed-down recipes are extra special.
We’ve got extra salmon and sturgeon in our freezer this year, but I’m feeling like you and need more. And yes, a few extra’s in the shopping cart every week to try and fill the pantry.
Tipper: This is a very smart move. the grocery prices have been going through the roof. We canned a lot of stuff when we had 6 at home. Now that we are down to 2 the reason seems to have changed. Maybe after retirement we will get back to canning and freezing.
The picture of the pears with all that sugar made me so hungry! This looks wonderful. I wish I had your know-how in this economy!
I remember doing pears with my mother in law. Your fingers would turn dark for days it seemed. She still put pears up this year and she just turned 81. However she no longer lives close by. After being widowed, she married a man whom they had dated at 17. They got married at 71 and moved 3 states away from where she had lived for 71 years!
I love to eat fresh sweet pears.
Osagebluffquilter
I love pear preserves. My grandmother used to make pear cobbler, too. Mmmm. Sweet memories.
I’m stocking up on canned goods – just in case. Do you can anything but pears this way? I’m wondering about apples… blessings, marlene
Sounds delicious.
I can only imagine how yummy these are! I would love this on the side with some fried chicken!
My Mom, Dad and I canned pears one time. Mom ate those all winter. She loved them. Brings back good memories. Thank you!
Mostly, I’ve been stocking up on staples and putting them away – flour, sugar, etc. I figure it’s going to do nothing but get more expensive.
These sound so good and so simple!
Thank you for sharing the recipe and pictures. 🙂
Yummy! I’ve never had pear preserves, but at our house, strawberry preserves were always a staple with biscuits, rolls, cornbread, or any kind of bread. My Grandma and Mom make them the same way as your pear preserves.
I’m not doing much putting up, since we don’t have a garden here this year, but my brother has been canning tomatoes and tomato sauce like crazy! I’m sure Mom and Grandma are canning beans and freezing corn. If the economy gets too bad, we can always move from the “big city” back to the mountains, where people know how to fend for themselves.
I know what you mean about wanting to put up more food for the winter. Our garden was pitiful this year. But I am planning out a much bigger and better garden for next year. Their will be the cost for lumber to raise the beds; loads of top soil and aged manure; etc but it will be worth it. I have only madde jam this year…blueberry, concord grape (actually making today) and me and victoria will be making the raspberry when she is here in dec/jan. Me and a friend will be going to the potatoe farm next week and buy a big sack of potatoes…they will keep in the basement all winter long. This is the first time I am fearful of an elections outcome. This country needs change so badly. I am appauld the goverment bailed out those losers on wall street. It wont really do any good and they will continue their reckless ways….oh crumb….it is getting colder here. It is such a blessing when the sun comes out, cold but the sun makes such a big difference. The furnance is one till next spring I suppose. I have been wanting to collect some acorns but the only acorn tree I have seen was at that state park and there was a ranger right there so there was no taking of acorns.
I do mine a little differently, but I’m gonna be making some pear preserves this week myself.
Yummy pears! That would be great – if I had the abundance you have 🙂 I have been adding more to the cart – stocking up little by little. We have a small chest freezer in the garage that I plan to stock up a bit more too. Happy Monday 🙂
Thanks for sharing! We love pears in or home…kids feast on them! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! We love pears in or home…kids feast on them! 🙂