Canning quite honestly is daunting. It not only takes a significant time commitment, it can also seem far more technical than you may want to get when it comes to dealing with food. But really if you can set aside a morning, say 4-5 hours then the actual canning part is quite easy.
We have the most charming little pear tree in our backyard, and while it is still a youth it has consistently provided us with more pears that we can eat in the fall. So this year I decided to can them for the long winter months. I took the recipe from the following website, which describes the process quite well. I used the medium syrup, which worked out well.
http://www.pickyourown.org/pearscanning.htm
I used fruit fresh to keep them from yellowing, but lemon juice works as well.
Pack the pears in as tight as possible so less air is captured in the jars.
Leave them in a boiling bath for about 20-25 minutes.
how old is your tree? we are getting one soon and I'm so excited to have fruit in the future. I'm still freaked out by canning. I blame reading Larry's Party by Carol Shields. If it doesn't have vinegar or tons of salt or sugar (like jam) I haven't tried it - however you are inspiring me!
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Shana
Our tree is about 6 years old I would say. It was planted before we moved in, but I estimate by its size that it wasn't around long. I have to give it a good prune next spring and maybe we will have even more.
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