Old Time Pear Preserves Recipes

PEAR JAM

Steps:

• 1. Peel, core and dice pears. (Be sure to chop the pears relatively small, as they'll remain close to that size in the finished jam.) 2. Toss the pears in lemon juice and sugar, cover and refrigerate for overnight (12 to 24 hours). This step is important, and at an absolute minimum, they need 4 hours, preferably more. 3. Prepare a water bath canner (if canning, skip for a freezer jam). 4. Place pear mixture into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil on high. The mixture will foam, so be sure your pan is big enough to handle foaming to avoid overflows. 5. Stir the mixture occasionally, watching for overflows, and cook for about 10-15 minutes. If pear pieces are too large, crush slightly with a potato masher (optional). 6. Cook until the pear jam reaches gel stage, using an instant-read thermometer or testing a small amount on a plate placed in the freezer. (Gel stage is 220 degrees F at sea level and a bit below that at higher elevations. The finished temperature drops by 1 degree for every 500 feet above sea level. I'm at 1000 feet, so my jams finish at 218 F.) 7. Once the jam reaches gel stage, immediately remove it from the heat and pack it into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace, sealing with 2 part canning lids. 8. Store the pear jam in the refrigerator for immediate use, or process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes. Turn off the canner and allow the jars to sit an additional 5 minutes before removing them to a towel on the counter. Check for seals after a few hours, and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator. Canned pear jam should last 18 months or more at room temperature if properly sealed (refrigerate after opening) Refrigerated jam should last at least 2-3 weeks.

GRANDMA'S PEAR PRESERVES

Steps:

• Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Let simmer while making jam.
• In a large saucepan, combine pears, water, and lemon juice. Cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in pectin, and bring to a full boil. Stir in the white sugar, and continue boiling and stirring uncovered for 1 minute, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in brown sugar, allspice, and nutmeg.
• Quickly fill jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe rims clean, and top with lids. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes to seal.

PEAR PRESERVES

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, stir the pears, sugar, water and lemon juice; to combine.
• Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for 1½ -2 hours until mixture thickens and has a spreadable consistency. Remove from heat.
• Using a ladle, pour the hot mixture into 7 x sterilized ½-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch space from the top of the jar. Remove air bubbles and add more mixture as necessary. Wipe around the jars to clean, center the lids and seal tightly.
• Place jars in a canner or water bath, ensuring they are covered completely with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove from water.
• Allow to cool before serving.

FIG OR PEAR PRESERVES...THE OLD FASHIONED WAY

Steps:

• 1. Preparing the fruit: *For Figs...wash and slice. Small figs cut in half. Large figs cut into fourths. *For Pears...peel and slice. *Get out a large pot you plan on cooking them in. *Get out a medium size bowl for measuring.
• 2. Measuring: Use the same bowl to measure fruit and sugar. Put into large pot three (3) parts fruit to one (1) part sugar. Be sure to use the pot you're going to be cooking them in. Cover with lid and let stand overnight (not refrigerated) or for 10 to 12 hours to allow the sugar to melt.
• 3. Getting started: Remove lid and stir. Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and stir again. This just makes them a beautiful golden color but it's your choice whether to use it or not. I normally always use it.
• 4. Cooking: Cook on medium-high without the lid. You want a steady rolling boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to bottom of pot. Boil for 1 1/2 hours to 4 hours, depending on amount of fruit you have. A smaller amount won't take as long so use your own judgement.
• 5. Jar them: Laddle them into clean jars and seal tightly. If you want you can turn the jars upside down for 15 minutes then right side up but it's really not necessary. A lot of older people used to do this. (It is not necessary to do a water bath with this recipe). You should hear them "pop" within 30 to 40 minutes. If you have one that doesn't seal, just put it in the fridge.
• 6. Tips: I start checking them after they have cooked for about an hour and a half or so. I put a small amount into a cup and let it get cool to see how runny it is. I keep doing this so I'll know when they're the consistency I want. In the meantime, I put my jars, lids and rings into the dishwasher on the rinse cycle. This way they are sterile. Be sure they are absolutely dry before filling. Also, I always carefully remove the rings before storing. You can reuse the rings but not the lids. Good luck.

HOMEMADE PEAR PRESERVES

Steps:

• Peel all the pears.
• Shave chunks off the pears and put them into a bowl.
• The size of your chunks is dependant on preference on how big you like your preserves.
• I cut mine about the thickness of a quarter and size of ½ a french fry.
• I know, those are some strange directions. I'm just trying to help. Really, just shave the pears to your liking and make sure you don't get any skin or bad parts in the bowl.
• Add pears to a big pot. Layer with sugar. Repeat until you are out of pears.
• A good rule of thumb is to add 1½ cups sugar for every pound of pears.
• For example, if you had 6 lbs of pears, 9-10 cups of sugar would make them delicious.
• Sugar amount is also a preference. Do you like your preserves sweet? Or do you like them more natural fruity tasting? I prefer less sugar in mine, but eat them up just as fast when they are sweet.
• Turn the heat on low and bring to a boil. Turn heat down. Cook for several hours until the pears are translucent and the sauce is an amber brown color. Don't overcook them. It's better to undercook than overcook. The amount of time will depend on how big your pot is and how many pears are in your pot. I typically cook mine between 4-6 hours.
• Have canning jars ready, by placing them in boiling water. Use a funnel and spoon to put the cooked pears into the jar. Secure a canning lid. The heat from the pears and the hot jars will seal the jars.
• Attach a pretty note and then share them with a neighbor.

OLD-TIME PEAR PRESERVES

Steps:

• Peel and dice pears.
• Put in large pot and cover with sugar.
• Let set overnight.
• The next day, add lemon juice and bring to a rapid boil.
• Turn heat to low and let slow cook 5 to 6 hours, till it turns light brown.
• Bring back to a boil and quickly ladle into jars and seal.
• For a no-fail seal, invert jars for 5 minutes.

PEAR PRESERVES RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine 1½ cups sugar and water over medium-high heat and cook rapidly for 2 minutes. Add pears and boil gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining sugar and lemon stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly until fruit is clear, about 25 minutes. Cover and let stand 12 to 24 hours in refrigerator.
• Reheat the pears and syrup to boiling and add to sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner. Makes about 5 half-pint jars

OLD-FASHIONED PEAR PRESERVES

Steps:

• Day 1:.
• Peel and core pears. Slice or dice into pieces of desired size.
• Place pears in a large bowl and add an equal amount of sugar by weight (e.g. 4 lbs of pears = 4 lbs of sugar) Add juice of one lemon. Zest is optional, but adds a nice flavor. Stir gently to distribute sugar. Leave in refrigerator overnight. Stir several times to coat fruit with syrup.
• Day 2:.
• Place pears and syrup in a large pot. Bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until pears are translucent and candied. Turn off heat and leave pears in syrup overnight (no need to refrigerate). Place a clean dish towel under pot lid to prevent condensation.
• Day 3:.
• Remove pears from syrup, straining all syrup back into the pot. Bring syrup to a boil and cook to desired thickness (usually around 220 degrees). Test doneness by dropping syrup onto a frozen plate. It should gel almost immediately. When ready add pears back to syrup and remove from heat. Stir gently for approximately 10 minutes as preserves cool. This will keep the fruit distributed in the syrup and prevent it floating to the top of your jars.
• Place preserves in sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch of head space. If packing hot jars, process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. For cold jars, process 10 minutes.
• Leave jars undisturbed for 24 hours to cool and set. Enjoy!

PEAR PRESERVES (OLD FASHIONED)

Steps:

• 1. Peel, core, and slice pears into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces, then measure out 8 cups.
• 2. In a stock pot mix pears with the 5 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Gently combine all. Let set in pot over night, cover with light towel or single layer of sheeting material.
• 3. Next morning, put stock pot of pears on med/low stove burner. Stir gently to mix. Juices from pears, lemon juice, and sugar will have made a liquid over night. Bring to a low boil. Turn down to simmer and cook slowly 3 to 4 hours or until pears are clear and pink and syrup thickens. More sugar may be added once cup at a time during last part of cooking process until desired thickness is reached. Be careful not to add too much sugar, just gently stir often and observe.
• 4. Have jars and lids sterlized in boiling water. 8 1/2 pint jars and 8 lids. Leave on simmer.
• 5. When desired doneness is reached, remove from heat; stir in brown sugar, ginger,allspice, and nutmeg.
• 6. Fill sterlized jars to 1/2 inch of top, wipe off rim of jar with a wet cloth to remove any syrup that may have dripped on rim. Top with lids and rings, tighten firmly.
• 7. Process jars in boiling water 10 minutes to seal, (water should be heating while filling jars). Store in cool, dry, place away from direct light. Makes about seven 1/2 pint jars.