Pears Pears PEARS!

This is in response to a request I received from my friend (and canning companion!) Stephanie Kinard.  Instead of just giving her the recipes, I decided to make them available to all of you too.

Austin's Mammy gave me the recipe for Pear Preserves.  It's easy and delicious!  The Canned Pears recipe comes from my Southern Living cookbook.  Be sure to follow the directions for canning food safely (look them up here:  http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/  It's the National Center for Home Food Preservation).

Pear Preserves   

2 ½ measures of pears (peeled, cored, and sliced or chopped) 

1 measure of sugar 

some lemon juice (maybe about 1 tablespoon per 2 ½ cups pears)   

Cook until tender.  Process in a boiling-water bath canner for 10 minutes.     

Canned Pears   

Peel fruit.  Cut in halves or quarters, and remove cores and pits.   Cut in slices, if desired.  I prevent the fruit from darkening, immerse the cut fruit in a lemon-juice solution (3/4 cup lemon juice to 1 gallon water.   

Prepare the syrup:  3 cups sugar + 4 cups water = about 5 ½ cups   Pack raw pears into sterilized hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.  Cover fruit with boiling syrup, leaving ½ -inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rims.  Cover at once with sterilized metal lids and screw on bands.  Process in boiling-water bath for 25 minutes for pints; process 30 minutes for quarts.