Happy Wednesday friends!! Today I have a delicious old fashioned Pear Preserve recipe to share with you. Canning and preserving is one of my favorite things do at the end of the growing season. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming when everything is harvested at or around the same time, but I always seem to get it all done.
I love making jam, jellies, pickles, fruit butters, tomato relish , squash relish and pear honey, so I can continue to enjoy my seasonal harvest all year long. This delicious pear preserves recipe was passed down to me from my aunt which her mother passed down to her. I enjoyed these delicious preserves years ago and I'm so thankful to finally have the recipe.
This was my first time preparing and canning pear preserves and they turned out wonderful. If you've never had pear preserves it's like eating little pieces of warm pear candy and they're wonderful served on toast and hot homemade biscuits. This recipe requires you to use pears that are more on the unripe side as they hold their shape and won't fall apart, but no worries because the pears will soften as they cook.
I used Kieffer pears that my neighbor had given me off of their pear tree. Hopefully my pear trees will start producing in a year or so and then I can have my own pears to can. This preserve recipe is simple to make and only calls for a handful of ingredients pears, lemon, lots of sugar, time and patience. It takes a while to make these preserves, but the end result yields delicious, slow cooked, sweet preserves! I hope you and your family enjoy our family does.
Yield: 7 -8 Pint Size Jars
Ma Maw's Old Fashioned Pear Preserves
An Old Fashioned pear preserve recipe made with fresh pears, thinly sliced lemon and lots of sugar. Pear preserves are the perfect recipe if you have an abundance of fresh pears.
Prep time: 12 H & 30 MCook time: 3 H & 30 MTotal time: 16 Hour
Ingredients
- 6 - 8 quarts pears, peeled and sliced thin (24 - 32 cups of pears)
- 2 - lemons (thinly sliced, seeds removed)
- sugar - lots of it (1 1/2 cups of sugar for every 2 quarts of sliced pears)
- 2 - 3 tablespoons sure gel powder pectin (only if needed)
Instructions
- Wash, peel, core and slice pears, I used my apple peeler. Add 2 quarts of sliced pears to a large stainless steel pot and add 1 1/2 cups of sugar.
- Keep adding the pears in 2 quart quantities along with 1 1/2 cups sugar (1 1/2 cup sugar to each 2 quarts of pears) until all of the slices pears have been added. Add the sliced lemon and put the lid on top of the pear mixture.
- Let the pears sit overnight (at room temperature) about 12 hours. After 12 hours the sugar will melt and the pears and lemon slices will be floating in sweet syrup.
- Bring the mixture to a boil (do not remove the lemon slices), reduce heat to a medium simmer and let the pear mixture cook (uncovered) until the pears are very tender and translucent. You will be cooking the pears for about 3 hours, so stir the pear mixture occasionally.
- Cook the pears until they start to take on an amber color. Remove pears from the heat and if the syrup has not thickened as desired, add a 2 - 3 tablespoons of powder pectin, stir and return to heat to thicken a bit.
- Fill hot, sterilized pint size jars with the pear mixture (pack well) making sure to leave a 1/2 inch head space.
- Add a clean, sterilized lid and ring and secure. Process pints in a hot water bath canner for 15 minutes. Remove jars and place on a towel on the counter.
- You should hear the jars pop within 30-40 minutes which means the jars are sealed.
- Cool jars completely and leave on the counter undisturbed for 24 hours.
- Store jars for up to one year in a cool, dry pantry.
Notes:
Several people have asked or commented asking if you have to add the lemons to this recipe. The answer is yes and no. If the lemons themselves are the issue they can be omitted, but you will need to add lemon juice to the recipe (about 2 - 3 tablespoons). Lemon juice is crucial for preserve set up, safe canning and to prevent the growth of bacteria.
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Yummy! Makes me hungry😊
ReplyDeleteThank you bunches for sharing this recipe. It looks exactly like what I've been looking for....YUMMMMM
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy the preserves! They're so delicious.
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! What is the reasoning for letting it sit overnight?
ReplyDeleteThe sugar pulls the juice from the pears and in the morning you will have pear slices in syrup, ready to cook into preserves.
ReplyDeleteIf 12 hours sitting is minimum, what would be the max?
ReplyDelete12 hours is usually sufficient time for the sugar to dissolve and form into a liquid.
ReplyDeleteWhat would happen if the pears sit longer than 12 hours ?
ReplyDeleteI think the pears would be fine if they sat a little over 12 hours. I wouldn't do more than 15. Letting the pears sit helps the sugar dissolve into the pears and lemon slices. That is really all that needs to be done. You just want to blend the flavors together.
ReplyDeleteDo you remove the lemon slices at some point?
ReplyDeleteI heard a comment about the syrup hardening after cooling. There is a lot of variation between cooking two, or three hours. If I use a thermometer as it’s simmering, do I want to cook it to softball stage or less?
ReplyDeleteYou will leave the lemon slices in with the pears.
ReplyDeleteI have never had an issue of the syrup hardening after cooking or canning. The pears are just cooking until the syrup starts to thicken up. I don't know what stage that is, because this recipe is from my grandmother, so it does not mention it in the recipe. Sometimes it thickens up on it's own and sometimes you need to add a little powdered pectin, but the sugar never hardens.
How do you measure 6-8 quarts of pears, peeled and sliced thin? Is that how many will fit into two quart jars?
ReplyDeleteHi, I read the comment about leaving the lemon in the pot while you simmer the pears. Do you can the lemons in the jars with the pears?
ReplyDeleteI measure in cups. 4 cups is equal to 1 quart. So you would need 24-32 cups of slices pears. If you have the recipe you would only need 12-16 cups.
ReplyDelete@snoop's Mom, don't remove the lemon slices.
Do you have to have lemons?
ReplyDeleteYou can omit the Lemons if the Lemon itself is the issue, but you will need to add lemon juice to the recipe (about 2 - 3 tablespoons). The lemon juice is crucial for preserve set up, safe canning and to prevent the growth of bacteria.
ReplyDeleteDo you sell them already canned?
ReplyDeleteI used this recipe to make my pear preserves last fall. We have enjoyed them all winter. My family loved the lemon slices. My favorite way to use them was to spread a little butter, cream cheese and pear preserves on the middles section of a piece of Puff Pastry, slice the side pieces of the Puff Pastry diagonally and then used to cover the pear preserves. Absolutely delicious.
ReplyDelete@Annie
ReplyDeleteI love the lemon slices too!!! I will have to try the cream cheese and preserves. That sounds so delicious.
Can you tell me what the texture of the pears should be like? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good recipe! I am a grandma from Texas and this is very similar to my great Aunt Elsie's recipe, hers just said peal and slice pears in small pieces and cover in sugar and shake down, let sit overnight and cook until syrup is thick and honey colored! not much information but I just use my instincts and it always turns out good. I'm glad to see another version that is very similar, I will try yours next time, a little more exact in measurements, thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteTexas Memaw
Can you freeze this instead of canning?
ReplyDeleteI freeze pears, so I think you should be able to freeze pear preserves. I just would not freeze them in canning jars, but in freezer containers instead.
ReplyDelete