Trying my Hand at Canning Pears

You know those recipes that you avoid for the longest time because you are certain if it's something you can buy at the store it must be difficult to make at home? I have had that problem with pancakes, biscuits, cream-of soups, and now canned fruit. Peaches were a little difficult because of the time of year; heating up the kitchen was not enticing at all.  Pears on the other hand, me-oh-my they are a cinch!  Peel and slice, place in jars with heated juice, keep in boiling water bath for 30 minutes, and cool. The kids absolutely love them, and we'll have wonderful, fresh pears to enjoy for the next few weeks.

I think I might need to make another trip to the store while they are cheap and get some more pears. This batch used 11 bartlett pears, about 6 lbs. They will be great for pies this winter and, of course snacking all the time. I have been using a couple of websites so far for help, including Pick Your Own and Food In Jars.  There have been others, but these seem to be the ones that are most useful so far.  They recommend heat-packing, but I have chosen to cool-pack the fruit and so far I haven't had any problems.  I am careful to heat up the juice to a boil (I didn't like the sugar/syrup when we tried that, although the kids sure liked it; the fruit tasted candied), and I keep the jars in the boiling water bath for the prescribed amount of time for our elevation.  I am hoping eventually I can get some tutorials together once I've really perfected my skill.  Until then, it's back to practice, practice. So much fun!

I am trying out a new blog link-up at The Prairie Homestead. Come and check out all the cool things everyone is up to.  Such a neat idea for tips to live more simply. I'm on my way to go see what everyone's up to, too. Enjoy!