Canned Pears Recipe

How to make it

---

• Use ripe pears. As ripe as you would eat them out of hand.
• A little about pears first. They ripen after they have been picked. Tree ripened pears will ripen from the inside out and are too soft to can. Use store bought pears or pick them from the tree. If you tilt a green pear horizontal and it detaches from the tree, it is ready to be picked.
• Place the pears in a paper bag and in a fridge that is 40 degrees or lower approaching 35 degrees for 2 weeks. This will give the pears the chill requirement they need to ripen nicely. Store bought pears have already had the chill requirement and are ready to be ripened.
• Store pears in the paper bag with the top rolled down at room temperature for 5 to 7 days to allow them to ripen. Different variety pears ripen at different rates. Check the bag every couple of days for ripeness.
• Grasp a pear in the palm of your hand with the stem end up and your thumb at the neck of the pear. Press on the neck of the pear with your thumb to check for give. If the pear gives under pressure it is ready to be processed.
• Pears that are picked too green will not ripen but rot.
• In a stock pot: mix one gallon water with 2T vinegar and salt.
• Peel, quarter and core the pears and place them in the stock pot as you work, taking off hard spots, soft spots and bug bites. The stock pot solution will keep the pears from turning color.
• Boil canning jars and hold them in hot water until ready to use.
• Bring two piece lids almost to a boil and hold them in hot water until ready to use.
• Using 4 cups sugar and 12 cups water: make a light sugar solution. Bring to a boil.
• Drain and rinse pear quarters. You can make them into eights if you wish.
• Place pears in the sugar solution: bring back to a boil and process for 5 minutes.
• Pack pears in the canning jars leaving ½” head space. Add the light sugar solution to the canning jars leaving ½” head space. Remove any trapped air by running a butter knife along the inside edge of the jar packing the pears toward the center. An offset icing spatula works well for this. Adjust the head space. Clean the rim of the canning jar with a dampened paper towel and screw the two piece lid down finger tight.
• Process the jars in a water bath canner making sure water tops the jars by 2 inches. Twenty five minutes process time for quart jars and twenty minutes for pint jars.
• Remove and cool jars overnight and check for seal.