Pear Ginger Perfection

Oct
10

Post by community member:

pear

It’s pear season.

I heart pears.

Mostly, I heart pears in Pear Ginger Jam. I heart Pear Ginger Jam.

This year, I got some pears right off of my mom’s tree. I’ve never picked pears before. We usually get them from generous friends who pick for us.

When we saw them ripening on the tree, my first question was: How do you know when they’re ripe? None of us knew, so I looked it up.

I heart Google.

Turns out that pears ripen from the inside out. That means that by the time they’re soft on the tree, they’re way too ripe in the middle. You have to pick them before they get soft.

But when?

When they’ve gone from rock hard to just a bit of give when you push your thumb on it. Hold it in your hand and put your thumb on it. Push. If there’s a bit of give, it’s OK to pick.

Also, pears hang down on their stems. If you hold the pear and lift it up horizontally, the stem should separate from the tree easily. If the pear doesn’t come off easily, then leave it.

It’s true. Note: Bosc and Asian pears behave differently. If you’re picking those, then do more research.

Because I have No Patience when it comes to ripening fruit in boxes all over my house [remind me someday to tell you about the year we had a box of pears rot on the floor because we forgot about them. The wood floor is permanently stained. It’s an attractive stain, but it would have been nicer if it were that color all over the floor and not just where the box was.] I cook my pears right away now.

Yes, I cut them when they’re too hard to cut. I risk life and limb and digit trying to carve out the core. Then I put them in a big pot with some water and cook the living daylights out of them until they’re really really soft.

Then I make Pear Ginger Jam. Because I heart Pear Ginger Jam.

Really. Just look at that picture. It’s perfection in a jar.

How to make Pear Ginger Jam: Printable

5 or 6 cups of cooked pears (cooked until they’re soft)
3 T Ball pectin (1 pkg)
5 cups sugar
1/2 cup candied ginger, chopped as fine as you want

Combine the pears and pectin. Bring to hard boil. Boil one minute. Add sugar and candied ginger. Return to hard boil. Boil one minute. Ladle into jars and process for canning.


Troubleshooting: First a confession. Often, I have too much fruit for a recipe. I try to add as much fruit and as little pectin as I can get away with. This time was no exception. And whoops! my jam didn’t set. It got sort of thickened, but not jam like. I figured that it just didn’t get hot enough in the pot I was using.

Tip: Use a pot with a wide bottom – more surface area next to the heat source.

We kept some of the non thick stuff to use for pancake topping. The rest I took out of the jars and dumped back in a pot and heated it until it reached a hard boil and I let it boil for a few minutes. I could tell that it had finished thickening. I poured it back into the jars (I did lose some volume because more of the water boiled out of the jam), put new lids on and sealed them again. Perfect thick jam.

My point is this. Experiment if you want to. Don’t panic if things don’t come out perfectly. It’s not a contest. There is no Permanent Record. It’s food. It’s supposed to be fun. If you use your head and adjust things a bit, you can probably fix it. Ask around, join a forum like the one at Chickens in the Road, or ask me in a comment. Chances are someone will have some tip to help you.

Happy preserving!

Robin from Rurification blogs at Rurification.

Do you have a recipe post or kitchen-related story to share on the Farm Bell blog?
See Farm Bell Blog Submissions for information, the latest blog contributor giveaway, and to submit a post.

Want to subscribe to the Farm Bell blog? Go here.

What can you enter to win this month? Click here.




Comments

  1. GrannyTrace says:

    Oh yum..
    Thanks for sharing I’ve never made pear jam before, but will now.
    Happy Fall
    Granny Trace

    http://www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com

  2. aprilejoi says:

    I will be picking up candied ginger today ( can I use regular fresh ginger or dried ginger?). I was looking for a pear jam recipe to try. I heart pears too!

  3. Robin from Rurification says:

    Hi aprilejoi! You could use fresh or dried ginger. Since they aren’t already sweetened, I’d add a bit more sugar to compensate. They’ll be a lot sharper when you bite into them, so it might also be a good idea to mince into tiny pieces.

  4. aprilejoi says:

    thank you. and what kind of pear is in your picture? It looks like the pears I was given but no one knew what kind they were. thanks again!

  5. claudia says:

    Did you add water to cook the pears and did you strain the pears and use no liquid when you made the jam? I have pears now and would like to try this recipe.

  6. claudia says:

    Sorry. I just reread and saw that you used the water to cook the pears, but did you leave any of it for the jam and how much?

  7. Robin from Rurification says:

    aprilejoi – I don’t know what kind of pear that is. I’m pretty pear ignorant. We generally get them in boxes from friends with no idea what kind they are.

    claudia – Leave all the liquid. You’ll need it to dissolve the pectin in.

Add Your Thoughts



Search Farm Bell Recipes

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
All Recipes
Appetizers & Snacks
Bagels
Bean Soups
Beans
Beans, Grains & Rice
Beef
Beverages
Biscuits
Blog
Boiling Water Bath
Bread Machine
Breads
Breakfast
Brownies
Budget
BWB Condiments
BWB Fruits
BWB Jams, Jellies, Butters & Preserves
BWB Marmalades & Conserves
BWB Other
BWB Pickles & Pickled Stuff
BWB Salsas
BWB Sauces
BWB Tomatoes & Combos
BWB Vegetables
Cakes
Candy
Canning
Casserole
Casserole
Casserole
Cereals
Cheese
Cheesecakes
Chilis
Chowders
Cobblers
Coffee Cake
Cold Remedies
Condiments
Cookery 101
Cookies & Bars
Cream Soups
Crisps
Crock Pot
Crowd-Size
Crusts
Cupcakes
Cure & Smoke
Dairy
Dehydrating
Desserts
Diabetic
Dips
Doughnuts
Dressings
Egg Dishes
Eggs
Entertaining
Fat-Free
Featured
Fermenting
Fillings
Fish
Food Photography
Freezing
Frostings & Icings
Frozen
Fruit Breads
Fruit Cakes
Fruit Salads
Fruits
Gift Basket Goodies
Giveaways
Gluten-Free
Goat Cheeses
Gourmet
Gravies
Griddles
Grill-Outdoor Cooking
Hard Cheeses
Herbs & Spices
Holiday
Homemade Cheese
How To
Ice Creams
Ingredients
Ingredients & Mixes
Jell-O
Jell-O Salads
Kid-Friendly
Kitchen Gadgets
Kosher
Lactose-Free
Lamb
Leftovers
Lettuce & Greens
Low-Carb
Low-Fat
Low-Sodium
Main Dish
Marinades
Meat Salads
Meet the Cook
Muffins
Non-Dairy
Old-Fashioned
One Dish Meal
Other Breads
Other Breakfast
Other Condiments
Other Dairy
Other Desserts
Other Main Dish
Other Salads
Other Side Dishes
Other Soups & Stews
Other Special Diets
Pasta
Pasta
Pasta Salads
Pastries
PC Beef
PC Chicken
PC Meats
PC Other
PC Poultry
PC Soups & Stews
PC Veggies
Pets
Pickling
Pies
Pizza
Pizza Crusts
Pork
Potato Salads
Potatoes
Potluck
Poultry
Presentation
Preserving
Pressure Canning
Pressure Cooker
Puddings & Custards
Recipe Requests
Relishes & Chutneys
Rolls
Rubs
Salads
Salads
Salsas
Sandwiches
Sauces
Scones
Seafood
Side Dishes
Soft Cheeses
Soups & Stews
Sourdough
Special Diets
Special Occasions
Steam Juicer
Stocks
Stuffings
Substitutions
Syrups
Tarts
Tips & Tricks
Tortillas & Pitas
Using FBR
Vegan
Vegetable Breads
Vegetable Salads
Vegetables
Vegetarian
Wild Game
Yeast Breads


If you would like to help support the overhead costs of this website, you may donate. Thank you!





Thanks for being part of our community!