How to Make and Can Vanilla Pears

(Sorry... this isn't a post about Milo, Newby or Dixie... and they are mad...)


We have a HUGE pear tree which is producing more fruit than I nor the birds can consume.  So I looked around and found a delicious recipe.  I wanted to share with you.

This is my first canning of fruits so I was a bit nervous.  But I have to admit, right about now I'm thanking my great-grandmother, who raised me from an infant, for letting me watch her can stuff from the garden!



Vanilla Pears  (makes 7 pints and a little left over to enjoy right now with ice cream)
12 cups of pears, peeled, quartered and deseeded
9 cups of water
5 Tbsp of Vanilla extract
2 cups of sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a large pan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.  If your pears are a bit under-ripe you can boil a couple extra minutes until al dente.

Then you water can these bad boys.

1. Sanitize your jars. My dishwasher has a sanitize setting so I simply run them through the dishwasher while I'm preparing the stuff to can.
2. Fill a small pan with water and put in your jar rings and jar seals. They do not need to boil, but you need to let sit in hot, non-boiling water, until ready to process your filled jars.
3. Fill your canning pot full of water, at least enough to have 1-2" of water over your jars, and bring to a vigorous boil.  Remember to put the lid on your canner as it makes your water boil faster and more vigorously.
4. Fill your jars with fruit -- use a jar funnel, its less messy -- packing the fruit down in and adding syrup until you have 1/2" of head space at the top of each jar.  Clean any spills off with a clean cloth.
5. Place a jar seal on top of each jar and turn the jar ring around until just finger tight. Don't over tighten, you can do that after they have canned.
6. After you have filled your jars, place them one by one in the boiling canning water.  Return to a hard boil and process in the canning water for 25 minutes.
7. After 25 minutes carefully remove each jar, allow them a few minutes to cool down, then tighten the ring around the jar.
8. A correctly processed jar will have no 'give' on the top.  You can press down and it doesn't pop back.  If any did not process correctly, place in the fridge and use within the week.

:) Great-Grandmom would be proud, eh?