With pear season in full swing, I found myself with around 20 pounds of fresh pears. Obviously, there was no way Jordan and I could eat them all before they went bad, so I knew I had to preserve them some way. I love fresh pears, but HATE canned pears. They are so slimy and nasty…eww! So clearly, I wasn’t going to just can them ;). My next thought was jam. For all the jam I’ve made this year, you’d think we eat a lot of jam. But no…we’ve ate less than 1 jar! I enjoy making it though and I like to give it away, so it’s worth it. This recipe turned out great. The jam was delicious – lots of pear flavor with a hint of spice. Don’t be scared to try your hand at canning. It’s easy! Take your time and follow the instructions exactly and you’ll have no problems. Enjoy!
Pear Jam
4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 3 lb. fully ripe pears)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 box Sure-Jell fruit pectin
5 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
1/2 tsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp roasted siagon cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1. Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
2. Peel and core pears. Finely grind or chop fruit. Measure exactly 4 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon, and cloves.
3. Stir in pectin. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar; stir. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
4. Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.) Yield: about 6 half-pints.
*adapted from Kraft
