How do you prepare pears for canning?

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How do you prepare pears for canning? We have one of those kitchen tools that cores apples and slices it into pieces in one motion. Was thinking of that for pears?

My main question is...when are they ripe? We moved in last year and don't know the type of pear tree. I was told they have to fully ripen after you pick them. When do you know when to pick? They are green and beginning to get some brown...after too ripe they get yellow...this was the mistake I made last year. They are VERY hard now and don't taste too good, not ripe. Any help would be appreciated. Mike

-- Mike in PA (smfine@yahoo.com), September 18, 2001

Answers

Tried the apple/peeler/corer thing but it was a mess and wasted too much of the pears. Also, I try to use every bit of pears and used alot of pears that had bad parts cut out of them and they won't go through the machine.

We let ours fall to the ground and gather each day (throw the bad ones on the compost or to the chickens. Canning pears are basically green when they are ripe and fall on the ground. Not like eating pears that look yellow when ripe.

Yes, they may be hard--but that's what makes them perfect for canning, making preserves, pear butter and pear sauce. Yum! When you cook them and can them they are great! Don't wait so long this year! Hope that helps.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), September 18, 2001.


A word to the wise, do not, and I really mean do not, use too much fruit for the amount of pectin you are using:)! I made that mistake last year when canning my pear jam. If I refrigerate it before using, it is actually just barely spreadable as pear jam. However, at room temperature it is pear sauce. Actually my husband likes that on his ice cream, but boy do we have a lot of it! Someone told me that the type of pears we have, the old timers call them sugar pears, do not have much natural pectin to start with, so do read and follow instructions carefully!

-- Lori in SE Ohio (klnprice@yahoo.com), September 18, 2001.

I have found the best way to get my pears peeled for canning is to put the 1/2 bushel basket, a pail and a knife in the TV room and my husband peels by hand for me while watching his Sunday football. Really works well around here.

There are pear trees on the place south of us that my mom went and faithfully picked, with owners permission, and canned. These pears are hard up until they spoil, I mean so hard you can't bite into them but they always tasted very good when canned. Mom always waited until they dropped. I don't know the type of pears but I will be collecting them again this year. Also, they seem to be very resistant to insect damage. Planning to try to graft to my pear tree, which has yet to produce, in the spring.

-- Betsy in Mi (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), September 19, 2001.


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