Homemade Pear Honey

Today I tried my hand at Homemade Pear Honey. I have to say it was easier than i thought it would be. The hardest part was peeling and choppinig all those beautiful pears. I have been wanting to make pear honey for some time now. The first time I tasted Pear honey was at my mother in laws house, she had a jar in the refrigerator and I added some to my toast just to try it. Ummm it was love at first bite, that was years and years ago.

I had asked her where she had gotten the homemade pear honey? She told me that a friend of hers had gotten it from their grandmother, I asked if she could get the recipe. Months later she mentioned to me that the woman who made the honey was not making it anymore and was in a nursing home so she could not get the recipe. It was that day my hunt began to find a tried and true recipe.

My oldest son had brought me a big bag of pears home from his grandmothers house last weekend. I was shocked at all those pears, what to do with them? Pear Honey I said..... We ate a few of the pears just because we couldn't resist. Some of them were really ripe a few others were harder so I thought they would be perfect. I remembered a recipe I saw thumbing through one of Paula Deens Cook Books, The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook"

I thought this recipe is the one, it wasn't packed with all sorts of funny ingredients like some I have seen. Just four simple ingredients and a little patience. I am really trying to get a jump on my canning. I want to give some as gifts for the upcoming holidays. I am going to try my hand at Crock Pot Apple Butter next time.

~ One of my favorite cookbooks in my collection ~

These are the ingredients you will need. Fresh Pears, Crushed Pineapple, Lemon Juice, Sugar and a little patience.

Peel and chop pears approx - 8 cups

I pureed mine in a blender for a few seconds since the pears were so firm, then i added them to the pot to cook.

Just like this, I thought it might be easier for the pears to cook down.

add one 20 oz can of crushed pineapple with syrup (I had to get a larger pot it did not look like all that sugar was gonna fit with the fruit mixture) so that is why the picture went from a white pot to a black.

and 10 cups of sugar (ikes is what i was thinking at this point)

and one Tablespoon of Lemon Juice.

Mix all the ingredients together and bring to a boil.

Just like this, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. I simmered mine for about 45-1 hour before mine thickened. When mixture thickens you are ready to fill your jars. I also read that if your pear honey does not thicken up slightly, you can add a bit of prepared pectin to the mixture to help thicken it up a bit.

Sterilize the jars you will be using. I added a dish cloth to the bottom of a large pot and placed my jars on top. Fill with water and sterilize for 10 minutes. Using tongs and a hot pad remove jars from water.

and place on a counter covered with a towel or placemat. This is so the hot jars do not come in contact with the cold counter. Add the rings and lids to a seperate bowl and add boiling water to cover while you are filling your jars with the hot mixture. Sorry i forgot to get a picture of the lids and rings.

Fill each sterilized jar with pear honey and leave about 1/2 inch head room. Wipe the rims and sides of the jars to clean off any remaining pear honey mixture. Then add a lid on each jar and screw on the rings dont screw them on to tight.

add your dish cloth to the bottom of a large pot and return the jars. Fill with cold water. Enough to cover the jars.

Bring water to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil this is where your processing time begins.

Cover pot and reduce heat a bit and process jars in hot water bath 5 minutes for half pints and 10 minutes for pints. I used a few half pints and the rest were pint jars.

When the time is up remove lid and remove jars carefully. Use tongs and a hot pad. Place jars back on the dish towel to cool on the counter. Let your jars sit on the counter overnight. In the morning press down on the lids to make sure they are sealed properly, the lid should not pop up when you press it.

Pear Honey
(Recipe courtesy Paula Deen)
Yields 12-16 half pint jars

8 cups (about 3 pounds) peeled, cored, and chopped pears
1 - 20-ounce can crushed pineapple with syrup
10 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients and cook until pears are tender and mixture thickens, approximately 30 minutes. Place in sterilized jars and seal while still hot.

Click here to print recipe



~ Mommy's Kitchen Welcomes Your Comments ~