I love to get every ounce of goodness from fruit when I put it up. One way I accomplish that is to make jelly from the peelings and cores that are leftover after processing the fruit.
I’ve been making apple jelly in that manner for many years. Several years ago I decided to try and use my peach peelings to make peach jelly. It worked just as well even though Granny was worried I’d have peach fuzz in my jelly 🙂
Pear jelly is something I’ve never made until this year. Years ago I had ready access to pears every year and often made pear preserves. We just love them!
Once Miss Cindy moved to be closer to us I lost that yearly bounty of pears from her friend in Black Mountain. I just happened to see a box of pears at Peachtree Produce when Matt and I stopped there a couple of weeks ago. They were pretty pears so we bought them with pear preserves on our minds. I found out later they were grown right here in Brasstown.
After I made the preserves I used my handy dandy steam juicer to get the juice from all the peelings and cores.
Pear Jelly
- 4 cups pear juice
- 1/2 tsp. butter (optional)
- 1 package of pectin
- 5 1/2 cups sugar
- Canning jars, bands, lids
Place juice, butter, and pectin in pot on high heat and bring to a boil.
Add sugar all at once and stir well. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil and boil for one minute. Ladle jelly into hot jars and seal.
Turns out we love pear jelly as much as pear preserves.
Last night’s video: We Didn’t Feel Great…But We Managed To Make A Showing.
Tipper
Subscribe for FREE and get a daily dose of Appalachia in your inbox
Thanks to you I made jelly twice this year. I first made grape using grape juice from the grocery store. Last week I made apple using peels and cores. Both turned out good and the apple was from something I usually throw away. Love to use the open kettle method and it works every time. Turn the jars upside down for 5 minutes and they always seal!
My grandmother always made the best apple jelly and my Dad told me she used the peelings.
Sending my prayers to Granny and your family.
Has anyone ever tried making jelly without using the commercial pectin?
My mother and grandmother made jelly without added pectin. Fruits like oranges, apple, pears are loaded with pectin. Pectin is what maintains the solidity of the fruit until the seeds mature. When fruits are squeezed for juice the pectin remains with the pulp. I suspect it was a juice maker that discovered a use for the slop that was left over that first started the practice.
Cooking destroys the structure pectin in fruits. Fruits that are cooked before the juice is taken off have to have added pectin to gel properly. My ancestors knew the properties of fruits and how they gel so didn’t have a need Sure-Jell or Mrs. Wages.
My ancestors often failed in their attempts to make jelly with commercial pectin so just called it fruit syrup and ate it anyway. Making modern jelly with pectin isn’t perfect either. You need to stick precisely to the recipe or you will have fruit syrup too.
Commercial pectin does allow you to make jelly from things that have very little pectin. A couple I am thinking of are dandelion and violet blossoms!
Pectin is a soluble fiber and acts as a probiotic in our gut so is good for most people. I don’t know that we get the same effect from commercial pectin. Pectin used to be a major ingredient in Kaopectate. The other one was Kaolin which is clay. Up until the 1990 the number one, over the counter, medicine for the “trots” was a mixture of Sure-jell and dirt.
I wonder how much of the juice you get from a steam juicer is just water that has condensed back from the steam? What if you cook that juice down by the amount of water that was lost? Would that concentrate the flavor more and make an even better jelly? I’m not intending to criticize, just wondering!
I do so miss my grandma’s jellies, jams, and most especially, her squash pickles.
You can make peach butter from peach peelings left over from putting up peaches (the more the better) and /or over ripe peaches. Remove seeds, cook peelings or peaches in crock pot, and add sugar (white or brown) to taste. When tender, run it through a food processor. I usually make sure it is good and hot and just put it in jars and seal, but you can put it through a water bath canner. You never taste or feel the fuzz.
After watching your pear jelly-making video, I decided to give it a try. My grandson came to help me pick up the pears that had fallen on the ground on Friday. They had all disappeared overnight. He took a fruit picker and tried to reach some that were still on the tree with little success. He got a total of seven pears. I guess I will have to buy some pears if I want to make your delicious preserves recipe and save the peelings for jelly
We picked a grocery bag full of pears from a tree about a week ago. I am gonna try your recipe for pear preserves. Thank you Tipper. I hope everyone is feeling better and continued prayers for your mama.
Looks delicious!
I tried making apple peel jelly earlier this summer. It was good, but it became more of a syrup than a jelly. I probably cooked it too long. But the kids loved it. Said it was like candy…it was so sweet.
I have prayed for Granny Wilson, I will continue to pray as I’m praying for my brother also, I have requested prayer for Granny on my channel, God bless Granny Wilson
So glad you found those pears, and glad the source was Brasstown. Maybe you’ll have a direct source close by. And I’m relieved that other folks besides me are “saving”. I do not like a “throwaway” society. For myself, I can’t shake the suspicion that a throwaway mentality is first of all a character weakness and then a societal mistake when it becomes the common way. I’m not talking about being a “skinflint” but rather the original sense of the word “conservation”, to use resources wisely so as to not run out of them. You all have memories canned up in those jars to.
Those jars of Pear Jelly look delicious! It’s amazing that what’s meant for scraps can be made into something to carry you through the winter. I’m still puzzled by the color that came from the juice. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Hope y’all are feeling better. Extry Prayers for Granny & for y’all
I’m so glad you told us about the pear jelly. I’ve been making peach jelly with the peels for years and in fact that was my first jelly to ever make about 25 years ago. I don’t know why I haven’t thought to use pear peels after making pear preserves (our favorite) Hopefully I can get that done this week!
I can imagine it taste delicious! You made a lot different goodies out of that box of pears you bought. As I recall you made pear bread, pear preserves, pear jelly and y’all even ate some fresh out of the box. You have been busy puttin back for winter. A slice of fresh out of the oven bread with some pear preserves or jelly will be mighty fine eatin this winter.
I have made apple jelly that way this year as well as many other fruits in the past. I wasn’t going to can this year, but ended up making apple butter, dried apples and dried pears as well as apple vinegar. I made homemade vanilla for the first time last year. It turned out really good. I felt like I stepped inside of Sodom when I went into a liquor store for the first. I found myself explaining that I had never drunk except when moms gave me a tablespoon of some when I was a kid and couldn’t get over the cold I had. That young kid looked at me and just laughed. Oh well, it was worth it having that wonderful vanilla. Hope granny has a blessed day. We are remembering her and your family in our prayers. God bless.
Drama, I know the feeling of going in a liquor store. No one in either mine or my wife’s family have needed alcohol to enjoy our lives or act like a fool. One time many years ago, we could not get over the congestion from the flu, I finally went and bought a bottle of Rock and Rye and mixed it up with honey and lemon juice and dranked some of it. It did help with the congestion but I never forgot the feeling I had of being in a liquor store. I have heard it said if you want to have a business and never worry about having customers open up either a liquor store or mortuary.
I found 190 proof food grade cane sugar alcohol on Amazon. It is a little pricy but so is the stuff at the likker store. It is intended for extracts and other culinary purposes.
TY so much for the written recipe. I can’t wait to make a small batch. I like the juicer. I loved watching y’all work at the garage yesterday. I don’t know how you did it and feeling so bad. I’m praying y’all feel better soon. If Matt got it it probably isn’t a reaction to the mulberry weed, so take care or everyone will get it. Extra prayers for sweet Granny. I love y’all.