I was trying to decide what to do this diary on: quilting, working on two projects there; knitting, working on three projects; writing, haven't done much of that lately; canning, spent a lot of time on that lately. So canning it is!
A lot of this weekend we spent canning pears from our trees. We have 3 trees. One is 12 year old Duchess Pear, supposedly semi-dwarf; a Bartlett I grafted myself, about 3 years old, and a 4 in 1 pear tree that is 2 years old with us.
If you are interested in how to can in general and a good (multiple people will attest to it) recipe for spiced pears, follow me below the squiggle.
I grew up in a "canning" household. But selective canning. My mother had heard enough horror stories of people who died from eating home canned goods. And you can, make no mistake on that. So we mostly canned high acid foods: tomatoes, apples, pickles, pickled vegetables. Sometimes peaches and pears. Pears aren't as high acid, so I add lemon juice to up the acid and "sharpen" the taste.
We usuallly can 1/2 pints. That's because there is usually just the two of us. But I also do some pints and maybe even a quart or two if it looks like they will be used. This year we gave away about half the pears to family and friends, so we will get about 30 1/2 pints and a couple of pints. That's plenty, along with the peaches and apples to get us through the winter.
Below are some pears from the Duchess tree, which has the most pears. As you can see they aren't perfect. We never spray and cutting out an occasional dark area isn't a problem with canning. Also the best pears usually go to family and friends, as well as our lunches.
How to do canning.
You don't have to grow you own fruit to can; you can purchase fruit at farmer's markets or even your grocery store. The process is the same however you get the fruit.
First you need glass canning jars. If they are from last year or a garage sale, check the rims. No chips or cracks. If they have any, throw them out. After checking the rims, we load the jars into the dishwasher and run it on hot. While the jars are being washed and sanitized, we begin cutting up the pears. To start with you need a large bowl, filled about 2/3 with water to which you add about 1 Tablespoon of concentrated lemon juice. You can also buy various packages of anti-browning solutions, but a tablespoon of lemon juice works well and it is a lot cheaper. The pears need to be cut in quarters and peeled and then chopped into about 1" squares (don't have to be precise).
Below is my sweetie, NormAl1792, chopping pears.
When the bowl is mostly full (basically no more room for pears under water), it is time to make the sauce.
This is the sauce or syrup I use: 3 cups 100% pear juice (no sugar added); 1 cup good orange juice; 2 T good honey; 1 T concentrated lemon juice; 1/2 cup red wine (I like Merlot); 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 t Vanilla; 1/4 t ground cloves; 1/4 t nutmeg.
Take the syrup to a boil. Taste it and see if you want to make any adjustments. You might prefer it sweeter or with more cinnamon. Your taste is what matters.
Move the bowl of pears to the stove. Take the jars out of the dishwasher (or if you do not have one, thoroughly wash jars, do not dry with a dish towel) put upside down on a plate by where you have the sauce. Leaving the jars upside down is so nothing falls into them as you can.
Most recipes will tell you to pack the fruit in the jar and pour boiling syrup over them. That's fine. I'm more paranoid. I use a slotted spoon and transfer the pears into the boiling syrup and bring back to a boil and then ladle them hot into the jars.
Note the pan in the background. It has the lids. I brought that water to a boil and then put the lids in and turned the heat off. You want the lids to be very hot, but if you boil them, the "rubber" boils off.
It is easiest to pack the jars using a wide mouth funnel and a ladle. Keep the jars upside down until ready to be filled.
Leave about 1/2" inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion when you process the fruit.
Once the jar is filled enough, I wipe the top rim of the jar with a clean paper towel and then using a magnetic "wand" pick up the lid from the hot water, place it on top and using the metal band, finger tighten it down. It does not have to be overly tight.
I think it is best to immediately process the jars. Use a canner, or any pan large enough to hold the jars with at least a little water over the top of them. The water should be boiling, although I turn the heat off while I load the canner. Turn the heat back on, put the lid on, and process for at least 20 minutes for 1/2 pints or pints, or 30 minutes for quarts.
Then turn off the heat and, using a jar tong, take the jars out of the canner and place on a dish towel. Even if you have a heat resistant surface, this is best.
Once they cool, test them to make sure they have sealed. When they seal, they will make a popping sound as the jar cools. Press on the lid to see if it is sealed. If the lid moves goes up and down, it isn't sealed. Reprocess. If they are sealed, label them and store them to enjoy all winter. There are many products for lovely labels, but we just mark the lids.
So, what are you working on lately?