What are you canning now?

[Raech]

Today the count down is 2 days till school starts, I am really not happy

But little man got up at 7:30 this morning, and woke me up, and we got 99% (didn't get shoes or bag on) ready before 8:30!!! So now that means it is on to the pears, I have 2 FULL milk cartons of ripe pears and about 12 pears on the table leftover from the last ripening batch. Plus a extra milk crate full of cucumbers(sweet relish) and tomatoes, with a couple extra large zucchinis for the neighbor. My day is going to be super busy already. Really can't wait until all of my garden is on one property and I won't have to run all over town to get tomatoes and pears, now my car smells fruity and it was only a 15 minute drive.

 

[meandthegals]

It was yesterday but did 15 quarts of green beans, 7 quarts of chicken stock, and 7 quarts tomato/onion/pepper mixture. Planning on pickles and pears this week.

 

[KentuckyMom]

Today I canned 9 quarts of green beans.
Here are a few of the pear recipes I just used over the past couple of weeks. I made more pear sauce than anything. I quickly discovered that the small pears growing on the tree here are too much work to peel and core. I just quartered them, cooked them down, drained the juice off to drink or can ( to drink or make jelly out of later), and cranked the rest through an old Foley food mill to can as sauce or pear butter. A lot of work , but my pantry is full of sweet pear goodness now.

Maple Vanilla Pear Butter
7-8 pounds of pears
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 TBSP vanilla
Pinch of salt

- Add about half cup of water to pears ( just to keep them from sticking to the bottom) and cook over medium heat until fruit is soft- about 30 minutes. Transfer to a food mill and process until smooth. Add the puree back to the pot, add sugar,syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat, stirring FREQUENTLY, until thick enough to round up on a spoon. ( I also have cooked this in a crock pot overnight so I didn't have to worry about it sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.)
- Fill sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space, and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

 

[Raech]

What do you use the butters for? I hate how recipes say how to make it, but never how to use it. I have one book that has random info such as "pair this with a white wine or salmon."

 

[KentuckyMom]

p.s.

I need some good pear canning recipes!  

Chunky Vanilla Pear Sauce
Makes about 3 quarts

10 cups pear pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Allspice ( I was out of allspice, so omitted it.)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1TBSP. Vanilla
1 TBSP lemon juice
- Toss all ingredients and cook in a crock pot on high for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. After the pears start to soften, uncover the crock pot and cook for another 2 hours so that the liquid boils off. ( This can also be done on the stove top in a large pot, but be sure to stir OFTEN so that it doesn't stick and burn to the bottom.)
*Note: Once I realized what a job it is to peel and core pears, I just quarterd the pears, cooked them down, drained the juice, ran the pears through a food mill, then added the sugar and spices and canned the sauce. This makes a much smoo
ther sauce. Ladle hot sauce into hot quart jars , leaving 1/2 inch headspace , and process in a boiling water canner for 25 minutes.

Pear Butter

8 pounds pears
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Cloves

Wash and quarter pears. Toss pears, water, sugar, and spices in an 8 quart pot and bring to a boil. Once you reach a boil, reduce heat to simmer, stir pears and cook until they are tender.(stir often)
Once the pears are soft, spoon them into a food mill to separate the peels, stems, and seeds. Next, place the pear mixture into a crock pot for six hours ( or overnight ), stirring occasionally.
Once the pear butter has thickened and turned a dark brown color, it is ready to can.
Ladle pear butter into hot jars filling to within 1/2 inch of the tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two piece lids; screw on bands finger tip tight. Cover jars with 1-2 inches of water in a boiling water canner. Cover,bring water to a boil and process 10 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool completely. Check the seals.If a jar hasn't sealed, refrigerate. Yields about 4 pints or 8-9 half pints.

I also canned pear sauce with no sugar or spices added. With the riper pears, it was plenty sweet with nothing else added!

 

[KentuckyMom]

What do you use the butters for? I hate how recipes say how to make it, but never how to use it. I have one book that has random info such as "pair this with a white wine or salmon."

We eat pear or apple butter on biscuits with butter or margarine , in place of jelly or jam, or without margarine or butter- just plain pear butter on hot biscuits! I have children who like it one way or the other and children who like it either way. It is good on toast too or on pancakes instead of syrup.

 

[Peep_Show]

Wow! Great recipes!

Question: What is the ripeness of the pears being used? I've got Bartletts, so do I need to wait for yellow skin?

I noticed several of these recipes are cooking until soft, which makes me believe the pears are hard or unripe?

I am relatively new to pears....

 

[Happy Chooks]

I got 5 pints of Peach jam done on Friday. A tad too thick, but tasty.

 

[20eas12]

Wow!  Great recipes!

Question:  What is the ripeness of the pears being used?  I've got Bartletts, so do I need to wait for yellow skin? 

I noticed several of these recipes are cooking until soft, which makes me believe the pears are hard or unripe?  


I am relatively new to pears....

I leave ours a little firm and green because if not they seem to turn to mush when canned

 

[KentuckyMom]

Wow!  Great recipes!

Question:  What is the ripeness of the pears being used?  I've got Bartletts, so do I need to wait for yellow skin? 

I noticed several of these recipes are cooking until soft, which makes me believe the pears are hard or unripe?  


I am relatively new to pears....

Some of mine still had green skin but I could push on them and the pear gave a little. Pears ripen from the inside out , so when they are really ripe and yellow on the outside the inside IS mush. This year I picked them, put them in our basement ( think cellar- it's an old house) for a few days ( some were in the basement a week), then brought them upstairs and processed them. By the time I brought them up they were soft to the touch. Some in each five gallon bucket had gone bad, but not many. I tried pears a few years ago that someone gave me and they were mushy but gritty. Apparently pears do this if left to ripen on the tree. This year I picked them green and let them ripen as mentioned. Big difference.