Bottle fresh, crunchy, delicious pears in water, honey, fruit juice or syrup to enjoy all year long! This recipe can be used for all pears (except for nashi pears - see nashi pear recipe for details).
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Ingredients for BOTTLED PEARS |
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Yield: 1 litre (4 cups) |
Yield: 4.5 litres (18 cups) |
Yield: 7 litres (28 cups) |
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Pears |
1.1kg (2 1/2 pounds) |
5kg (11 pounds) |
8kg (17 1/2 pounds) |
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Lemon Juice* |
1 tablespoon |
1/4 cup |
1/3 cup |
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Water, Honey Solution, Fruit Juice or Syrup** |
approximately 1 1/2 cups |
approximately 6 2/3 cups |
approximately 10 2/3 cups |
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*or replace lemon juice with citric acid (1/4 teaspoon per 1 litre yield) ** refer to syrup chart below for syrup ingredients and quantities. |
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1. Weigh fruit to determine the bottling yield.3. Wash, peel, halve and core pears. Pears can be left in halves, sliced or diced as desired.
4. Place pears into acidified water (water with a squeeze of lemon juice added) to prevent browning. Repeat washing, peeling, coring, slicing and soaking with the remaining fruit.
5. Prepare jars by boiling in a pot of water for 10 minutes before filling.
6. Soak lids in hot water (not on heat) for at least 5 minutes before use.
7. Prepare syrup (if using), ensuring all sugar has dissolved. Refer to syrup chart below.
8. Dissolve honey into water (if using). Refer to syrup chart below.
9. Heat water, honey solution, fruit juice (i.e. apple or grape juice) or syrup until hot.
10. Blanch batches of pears (single layer) in the hot liquid, simmering gently for 5 minutes.
11. Strain pears and set aside. Keep fruit hot. Repeat with remaining fruit.
12. Pack hot jars with the hot fruit to 2.5cm (1 inch) from the rim of each jar.
13. Add hot syrup (or other liquid) into each jar, filling to 1cm (1/2 inch) from the rim of each jar.
14. Using a non-metal utensil, remove any bubbles and add extra syrup if required.
15. Wipe rims to remove any food residue.
16. Add warm lids and twist to secure.
17. Place sealed jars into a pot of boiling water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes to a full boil.
18. Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a wood or fabric surface. Do not adjust lids during this time.
19. The next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating.
20. Store jars in a cool, dark and dry place for up to 12 months.
21. Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 5-7 days
22. Dehydrate pear peels to make pear powder; or boil them just covered with water to make lightly flavoured pear juice (which can be used to make pear jelly with the addition of JamSetta or pectin and sugar).
FLAVOUR IDEAS:
Add a pinch of spice of a spoonful of juice (or liqueur) to a 500ml (pint) jar of bottled pears, process according to the recipe and taste when opening to check the flavouring. Then make in larger batches as desired.
o Almond
o Amaretto
o Brandy
o Brown sugar (known as caramel pears)
o Chai
o Cinnamon
o Cloves
o Gingero Orange
o Port
o Red wine
o Cinnamon, Ginger & Honey
o Ginger, Cinnamon & Brandy
o Ginger, Honey & Vanilla
o Honey, Lime Juice (or Zest)
o Honey & Rosemary
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Syrup Chart for BOTTLED PEARS |
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Syrup |
Sugar % |
1L (1 quart) batch |
4.5L (9 pint) batch |
7L (7 quart) batch |
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Very Light |
10% |
1 1/2 cups water |
3 tablespoons sugar |
6 1/2 cups water |
3/4 cup sugar |
10 1/2 cups water |
1 1/4 cups sugar |
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Light |
20% |
1 1/3 cups water |
1/4 cup sugar |
5 3/4 cups water |
1 1/2 cups sugar |
9 cups water |
2 1/2 cups sugar |
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Medium |
30% |
1 1/4 cups water |
1/2 cup sugar |
5 1/4 cups water |
2 1/4 cups sugar |
8 1/4 cups water |
3 3/4 cups sugar |
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Honey |
varies |
1 1/2 cups water |
2 tablespoons honey |
6 1/2 cups water |
1/3 cup honey |
10 1/2 cups water |
1/2 cup honey |
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Fruit Juice |
varies |
1 1/2 cups fruit juice |
6 2/3 cups fruit juice |
10 2/3 cups fruit juice |
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Water |
0% |
1 1/2 cups water |
6 2/3 cups water |
10 2/3 cups water |
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Processing Time for BOTTLED PEARS in a Boiling Water Bath |
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Jar Size |
Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet |
Altitude 1,001 - 3,000 feet |
Altitude 3,001 - 6,000 feet |
Altitude ≥ 6,000 feet |
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Hot Pack |
≤ 500ml (pints) |
20 minutes |
25 minutes |
30 minutes |
35 minutes |
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≤ 1 Litre (quarts) |
25 minutes |
30 minutes |
35 minutes |
40 minutes |
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Processing Time for BOTTLED PEARS in a Dial Gauge Pressure Canner |
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Jar Size |
Processing Time |
Canner Pressure at Altitude ≤ 2,000 feet |
Canner Pressure at Altitude 2,001 - 4,000 feet |
Canner Pressure at Altitude 4,001 - 6,000 feet |
Canner Pressure at Altitude 6,001 - 8,000 feet |
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Hot Pack |
≤ 1 Litre (quarts) |
10 minutes |
6 PSI |
7 PSI |
8 PSI |
9 PSI |
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Processing Time for BOTTLED PEARS in a Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner |
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Jar Size |
Processing Time |
Canner Pressure at Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet |
Canner Pressure at Altitude ≥ 1,000 feet |
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Hot Pack |
≤ 1 Litre (quarts) |
10 minutes |
5 PSI |
10 PSI |
Left to right: Pear slices in syrup; Pear Halves in Syrup (top); Caramel Pear Slices; Cinnamon Pear Pie Filling; Pear Slices in Apple Juice; Puree Pears.
Author: Megan Radaich
Image credit: Megan Radaich
Publication: www.foodpreserving.org