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Pear Slices

Source of Recipe

From "The Canning Kitchen" by Amy Bronee


Recipe Introduction

"Fresh fruit is wonderful, but canned fruit is also a huge hit in my house, especially with my kids. Canned pears are handy for adding to muffins, making quick desserts, or enjoying just as they are."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 12 cups water, divided
â—¦ â…“ cup lemon juice
â—¦ 6 pounds ripe pears
â—¦ 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar



Recipe

In a large bowl, combine 6 cups of the water with the lemon juice. Peel one pear. Cut in half lengthwise and remove the core (a melon baller is handy for this job), the stem, and any other leathery bits. Slice the pear lengthwise, adding the slices to the lemon water as you go to prevent browning. Prepare the rest of the pears in the same manner.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the remaining 6 cups of water with the sugar. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Drain the lemon water from the pears. Add the pears to the light syrup and bring the works back up to a boil, gently stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the pears into six clean (2-cup) jars, topping up with the light syrup to leave a ½-inch headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up with syrup if necessary. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes.

Makes six (2-cup) jars



• Tip:
The lemon juice in the soaking water prevents browning. Instead of the lemon juice, you could substitute 5 crushed 500-mg vitamin C tablets, or ½ teaspoon pure powdered ascorbic acid. Commercially available mixtures of ascorbic acid and citric acid are also available where canning supplies are sold. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package for mixing ratios. To avoid damaging the pears as they come to a boil, stir with the handle end of a wooden spoon.