Ginger Pear Trio
This recipe uses just a few common ingredients to make three different items from the same bunch of pears. In addition to canned ginger pears, you will have several pint jars of ginger syrup and pear juice. Like all canning it can take a while to be finished but there is a lot of stop and start along the way.
Prepare and sterilize 8-10 quart jars and 4-6 pint jars as well as lids and rings for all. See this post for general information regarding sterilizing the jars, lids and rings as well other basic information about canning.
Combining all three recipes, your ingredients are:
- 4 1/2 cups sugar, raw or light brown
- 2 inch piece of ginger
- 18 cups of water (I prefer filtered)
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 10-12 pounds of fresh pears
Prepare the syrup:
Slice the ginger into small matchstick sized pieces. In a large stainless steel pan add all the sugar and ginger with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture has reached boiling, turn off the heat and place a lid on the pot. Let this mixture steep a while to infuse the ginger.
Prepare the pears:
In a large bowl combine 12 cups of water and the lemon juice. This water will be used to acidify the pears enough to stop them from browning while you work. Work on one pear at a time and get that one into the water before moving on to the next to help prevent any browning. Cut pear in half, peel with a vegetable peeler and remove the core (make a V cut along the core then take a small melon balling tool to scoop out the center core and seeds). Submerge the pear halves into the water and lemon juice. Repeat until all the pears are in the water.
Canning the pears and syrup:
Remove the lid from the syrup and warm over medium heat until you see steam rising but its not boiling. Remove all but 12 pear halves from the water and place them cut side down into the syrup. Set the reserved 12 pear halves and water aside for now, it will be used later for the juice. Try to get the pears in syrup into a single layer but at least get them all submerged. Heat pears through, about 8-10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove pears from syrup into jars. Place in layers, cut side down leaving 3/4 inch head space. Ladle syrup over the pears, remembering to keep the head space. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, put lids in place and add ring to finger tight. (See this post regarding general canning instruction for more information). Place any remaining syrup into pint jars leaving 1/4-1/3 inch head space.
Place the jars into a water-bath canner, making sure they are fully submerged. Bring water to a boil and process for 25* minutes. Once the time is up, remove the lid from the canner but allow the jars to rest for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Let the jars cool undisturbed overnight. The next morning, remove the rings, check the seals, wipe down and label jars for storage.
Making and canning the pear juice:
Remember those 12 pear halves and the water we set aside? Time to make those into juice. Place the water, lemon juice and reserved pears into a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it go until the pears have fallen apart.
Line a colander with two layers of cheese cloth and place over a large pot. Slowly ladle the pears and water into the colander to drain. Don’t poor it all in at once, unless you want to clean up the mess and waste all your juice! Allow to drain until it stops dripping, don’t mash or press it. This might take a while but you’ve been working hard so go relax with a book or watch a movie….
Now that you’re back, remove the strainer and discard whatever was left (compost? worm food? chicken food?). Bring the liquid in the pot to steaming but not boiling. Ladle into sterilized jars leaving 1/4-1/3 inch head space. Wipe rims, put lids in place and add ring to finger tight.
Place the jars into a water-bath canner, making sure they are fully submerged. Bring water to a boil and process for 10* minutes. Once the time is up, remove the lid from the canner but allow the jars to rest for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Let the jars cool undisturbed overnight. The next morning, remove the rings, check the seals, wipe down and label jars for storage.
*You may need to adjust your processing time based on your elevation. Go here to find adjustments for your location.