pear butter

We recently showed you how to can peaches. Last week I worked on canning my two boxes of pears. The process is quite similar to that of the peaches. You can click here for some great information and directions on canning pears.

After bottling my boxes of pears, I had a few left that I knew we couldn't eat. I had this recipe for pear butter that I was dying to try. I bottled it in small bottles because it's pretty rich, and I didn't think it would be something people would eat on everything.

Pear Butter

6 to 7 lbs. pears (about 20 medium)
4 c. sugar
1 tsp. grated orange peel
½ tsp. nutmeg
1/3 c. orange juice

To make pulp: Wash pears. Core, peel, and slice. Combine pears and ¼ c. water in a large saucepot. Simmer until pears are soft. Puree using a food processor, food mill, or blender, being careful not the liquefy. Measure 2 quarts pear pulp.

To make butter: Combine pear pulp and sugar in a large saucepot, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients. Cook until thick enough to round up on a spoon (took me over 2 hours!). Cover with lid if it begins to bubble and splash out of pan. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Add some decorative paper to the lid, a tag, and wrap a ribbon around it and you have an adorably delicious gift!