How to Make Pear Sauce: A Canning Recipe

Supplies

• Pears - 4 to 6 pounds for each quart of fruit
• Canning jars, lids and rings
• Water bath canner
• Jar grabber
• Lid lifter
• Water or juice
• Sugar, honey, or splenda (optional)
• Large saucepan or stockpot

How to Make Pear Sauce

1. Wash and drain the pears.
2. Peel the skin off the outside of the pear with a sharp paring knife. Slice it into quarters and remove the core and seeds.
3. Drop the pears into a saucepan filled with juice, or water. If you are using water, put a two teaspoons of lemon juice in the water to prevent the pears from turning brown as you slice them. Ensure there is always enough water, or juice, in the pan to cover the pears.
4. Cook the pears over medium-high heat until they are soft.
5. Drain the pears and retain the juice, or water.
6. Place the cooked pears in a blender. Puree the pears adding water or juice as needed to get the puree moving.
7. Pour the pureed pears back into the saucepan
8. Bring the pear sauce to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring often to prevent burning.
9. Add sugar, splenda, honey, or cinnamon to taste.

 

How to Can Pear Sauce

1. Ladle the pear sauce into sterilized canning jars.
2. Use a spatula to remove any air bubbles from the sides of the jar.
3. Cap the jar with a sterilized lid and ring.
4. Process the jars by boiling them in water for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the jars from the boiling water using the jar grabber.
6. Let the jars stand, undisturbed to cool, usually overnight.
7. Ensure the lid of the jar has sealed. The top, when depressed, should have no give to it if it sealed properly.
8. Label the jars with the date and contents.

Pear sauce can be enjoyed by itself, used to compliment a meal, or used as the base for making pear butter. Pear butter is pear sauce that is cooked longer. During the cooking process the natural sugar is caramelized, yielding a dark brown appearance and a thicker spread used for toasts and breads.

 

How to Make Pear Butter from Pear Sauce

To make pear butter, follow the steps above prior to canning the pear sauce. With the sauce still in the saucepan, add 1 cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to every 10 cups of pear sauce. Simmer over low heat stirring frequently to prevent burning. The pearsauce will become darker and thicker. The pear butter is ready to be canned when it will round up or maintain a peak on a spoon. Follow the canning steps above for pear sauce.

In addition to making pear sauce and pear butter, pears can be canned as halves or used to prepare preserves. Pears are a very versatile fruit.

More Canning Recipes from this author are available at, "Home Canning Recipes."

Credits

• Pear sauce photo: Heather Schulte
• Pear photo: ljdart, http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vuN-hXLCVD4xbGfpYYY21A
• "Ball Blue Book of Preserving." Jarden Home Brands. 2005. Muncic, IN 47305.
• Canning with Sweeteners Other than Sugar. North Dakota State University Extension Service. April, 1995. http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/askext/canning/4537.htm