Canning Pears

Do you have a tree loaded with pears? Lets get them canned! It is best to eat fruit fresh for maximum nutrition. However is you have more than you can eat, you can the rest.

If you plan to can your pears be sure to pick them early (green is OK) you want them just before they start to turn. Then set them on a news paper or in brown bags to finish getting ripe.

In the flesh of the pear there are stone cells. If the pear is tree ripened the cells mature and are like grains of sand in the flesh fruit. They make the canned fruit less pleasant to eat.

After a few days the fruit is ready to can. So gather your equipment

Jar lifter, spoon, and funnel.

Sugar and measuring cup

Lids

Rings

Jars,

Now wash your jars in clean soapy water and rinse

Put a pan of water on to simmer

Fill the sink with cold water

Wash the fruit then drop it in the simmering water to scald the skin. Leave the fruit in the hot water for just a few seconds.

Then using a slotted spoon take the fruit out of the pan.

 Then place it in the sink of cold water.

The scalding of the fruit makes the skin of the fruit separate from the flesh and it peals off with just a little pressure.

Now rinse the fruit off in cold water to remove any of the lose skin.

You will have a smooth beautiful skin free fruit at this point.

There are 2 ways I know to core the fruit. The one my mom taught me is to cut the fruit in half.

Take hold of the stem and pull it out.

Cut in quarters or halves and remove the rest of the core with a spoon or knife

The method I use is to cut off the sides of the pear.

Then cut the rest of the pear from the core

Cut the large sides in half to make 6 peaces of fruit about the same size.

Put the fruit into your clean jars. Leave about 3/4 inch head space from the fruit to the top of the jar.

Make your syrup by putting 5 cups of water and 3 and 1/4 cups of sugar in a pan and heat till the sugar dissolves.

Put your funnel on the jar of fruit and spoon the syrup into the jar so the fruit is covered. Leave 1/2 inch head space from the top of the syrup to the lip of the jar.

Clean the lip of the jar with a paper towel or clean cloth.

Place the lids in a shallow pan of boiling water.

Put a lid on the jar.

Place a ring over the lid.

hand tighten the ring over the lid. Not to tight. 

Place jars into your canner and follow instructions that came with our canner. Mine is a steamer canner 

When the canner has a column of steam coming out of the vent about 12 inches start your timer and let steam for 20 min.

Be careful to open the canner lid away from you. So the steam is away from your face.

Then use the jar lifter to take the jars out of the canner. Place them on a flat surface, keep the jars about an inch apart so they can have good air circulation around them to help them cool.

As they cool you will hear the lids popping. This lets you know they are sealing. Press on the center of each lid to see if it is sealed. It is sealed if the center of the lid in depressed into the jar.

 If the lid is flexing up and down it is not sealed. Any unsealed jars need to be checked. Look for cracks or chips in the jar or lip of the jar. You can put them back into the canner and try to seal them again. I always put them in a new jar and get a new lid to start over.

Last of all label and date your jars and put them on the shelf.