It has bugged me that, after waiting on the order of 10 years for this tree to fruit, most of the fruit will be wasted. Right? I mean they’re not going to be as good as commercial pears no matter what I get right so I won’t be able to give many away. I can only eat so many before they spoil.
But what if I canned them? How hard could that be? A tiny bit of research suggests not hard at all even with tools at hand, I just need to get some jars and they’re available again.
They say that Louis XIV had the inscription Ultima Ratio Regum cast into all the cannon of the French Army. It means “The Ultimate Argument of Kings,” and that always struck me as one of the most honest and up-front things any ruler or would-be ruler ever said. “We can dress it up prettier than this, but when it comes down to the unvarnished truth this is what it’s about: You’ll do as I say or I’ll send my goons to kill you.”
I thought about that for a long time. If there’s an ultimate argument, it seems only logical that there must be an ultimate answer. For years I thought the ultimate answer must be the bullets in my rifle, but it never seemed quite right. I’ve got bullets – he’s got frigging Cannon Balls. I mean, if there were three hundred million rifles throwing bullets at him, then maybe. But we all know that’s not going to happen. So if there’s an ultimate answer to his ultimate argument, it sure as hell ain’t bullets.
It finally came to me – and that’s when I abandoned the city and most of my stuff, and gave all that was behind me a good stiff Randian Shrug.
The ultimate answer to kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh.
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We had 6 pear trees in our yard when I grew up. Pears can good. Mom also made pear honey, and canned that.
Canning is easy, you need to make a sugar and water syrup. Instructions are online. I had best results with a ‘medium’ syrup, not light. I also add a quarter stick of cinnamon to the jar for flavor. Use canning jars, and water bath for 20 minutes. I’ve done it several times.
I have made pear honey with ours,, it is quite good.. I can them in a simple syrup,, they keep well, keep out of light or they brown up.. recipes should be available on line,, look for amish recipes.
Go by the Ball Blue Book. There is no more concise and correct book. If you cant find it for free online, post and i’ll find you a link.
I will dispute your claim that homegrown isnt better than commercial. It completely depends on the variety. We have 4 Bartlett trees that produce good pears but every year i have to beg my neighbors to come and get what they want. Add in the deer and other critters consumption and theres still an unbelievable amount of waste on the ground. But i have one tree that produces unbelievable good pears. So good that the groundhogs and squirrels eat them all before they even mature and no matter how many pests i kill, i havent had a pear from that tree in over 15years.
You can also dehydrate them. Might be a simpler thing to try in the desert. Makes a nice snack. Also, the higher the altitude you are at, the longer the water bath process takes.
If you dehydrate them they will turn brown without some chemical addition. Dried pears are my favorite but a nice jar of canned pears in the winter is really tasty
too. Easy to can, if you don’t have bushels of them to do at once and only need to can a jar or two at a time you might not even have to acquire a large canner.
TS
Yes, indeedy-do you can preserve pears. You first need to answer how you like to consume them. Will you eat them out of a tin? When you buy them, what kind of syrup you like? No-syrup? Light? Heavy? Canned in fruit juice? If you like jams and jellies I would hardly recommend pear honey that has been mentioned previously. Pear butter is another possibility. I wouldn’t put-up jams in anything bigger than a half-pint unless you are going to consume it by the spoon-fulls. And what Jean said about your altitude it is VERY important in canning. Because pears turn dark I would suggest buying ‘Fruit Fresh’ (citric acid) or vitamin C to add to the syrup mix. Dehydrated pears are yummy, but they do turn brown. All the information can be found on line. Have fun with your pears!
My late mother-in-law canned just about anything and I was lucky in that she used to share with my wife and I. Many the winter evening after dinner we would crack open a jar of pears or peaches or whatever she had taken a fancy to preserving.
https://www.pickyourown.org/pearscanning.htm
Hoorah! Pears! I’m so happy for you. Don’t forget the goat people if you have leftovers or fallen fruit, the goats will be in heaven
Yep, you can totally can ’em. Others have given lots of good suggestions/resources (especially the pear butter, IMO) but the basic parameters for safe preservation are “sugar, acid, or super high heat, pick at least one”. In syrup or as a jam/butter will work, ditto as pickles (remarkably good). The high heat route requires a pressure cooker and might leave you with mush so I wouldn’t bother given the plethora of choices in the first two categories.
The Mrs just canned a bunch of pears. I will leave your post up and ask her to comment. https://truebluesam.blogspot.com/2021/08/love-pears.html
Mrs True Blue Sam says: It would be good to find out if you like the pears you have before you invest in canning. I would pick some off the tree. Pears are one fruit you should pick early and ripen off the tree. Let them ripen inside until they gently give to the pressure of your fingers. Peel the pear with a paring knife then remove the core and top and bottom part of the stem. Sample the pear to check for quality. Some pears form stone cells in the flesh that make them very gritty mouth feel. If the pear is not quite ripe you can also peel and core the pear and simmer one or two in light sugar/water. Cook until soft and taste. When canning you should peal and immediately place the pears halves or quarters in either pineapple, lemon, orange juice or citric acid mix This will keep the pears from turning dark.
This link to the guide on canning gives you the times for water bathing your pears. https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/pear_halved.html
I’ve got some pear honey on the counter in my kitchen, made by my aunt. My grandparents canned on a woodstove, so I don’t see why you can’t.
You can also go to the nchpf.uga.edu, click on How do I…Can, then click on Fruits.
Ascorbic acid will keep your pears from discoloring..
This site or the Ball site are the only ones with tested recipes.
You might also consider getting a “handle” of cheap Vodka, some sugar and putting them up in a large jar at 80 or a 100 proof. If they can do it in Italy with oranges, lemons, kumquats and every other fruit known to man, you should be able to manage pears.
Is it really safe to water bath pears or do you have to pressure can them?
Anonymous – “Is it really safe to water bath pears or do you have to pressure can them?”
The rule is; if it is a high acid food, then water bath canning is okay. That includes fruits(tomatoes), pickles, jams, jellies, and preserves. Low acid foods are vegetables that are not pickled, meats and legumes(beans), generally. To know for sure go to the USDA web site, pick up brochures at the local extension office or look at their web site and/or get a current Ball Blue Book. Then follow the direction to the letter, for your altitude, and you can be reasonably sure you have food that is safe to eat. Botulism will kill you! I will note, that we in the USA are very anal about canning. I have watched people in other countries can. They appear very casual about the whole affair and nobody seems to be dying or suffering food poison.