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Friday, October 07, 2011

Canned Pears 1920's Style

This has not been my year for produce. Late spring, chickens, and 6 weeks of over 100 deg temps and no rain pretty much put an end to everything in the garden. :(



Pears 1



I did get my hands of 2 bushels of pears. They are wonderful and we canned some of them. It feels wonderful to have them on the pantry shelf, 42 Quarts and 14 pints. Happy Dance!




pears 011 (750x800)


You might notice in the photo that I have skins on my pears.... Well... a few years ago I was canning my first batch of pears ever. I was peeling the pears and hating life. I didn't have time for that much fuss. My mom came in and heard me grumbling and said....


"Your Dad always liked them with the skins on."


Me: "What!? Can you do that?"


Mom: "Of course! That is how your Grandma Lucile always did them and it was the only way your dad liked them."


That was all I needed to hear. I stopped peeling the pears right then and there and have loved it. We tried a batch really quick to makes sure we liked it and found that they tasted better than the pears without the skins on. The skins have so much flavor and when you can them, the flavor is "infused" into the pears. If you don't, the skins do slide off easily after canning.


Why 1920's?.... well my dad was born in the 1920's and this is how his mom canned then and through the great depression.


Here is my recipe for canned pears.


Canned Pears 1920's Style


about 3 pears per jar


Extra Lite syrup - 5 1/2 cups water, 1 1/4 (1.25)cups sugar - bring to a boil


Wash pears.


Cut up pears and fill your jars to 1 inch from the top.


Pour boiling extra light syrup over the pears leaving 1 inch head space.


Soften the lids in boiled water.


Wipe the rim of the jars with a clean paper towel, place the lids on and put on the screw bands and finger tighten (that means you don't crank them down).


Process in a steam canner (or water bath) according to your altitude. For me in Southern Missouri I process for 35 minutes for quarts.


Let the jars sit in the canner for 10 minutes with the heat off and then remove and cool on a dish towel for 24 hours.


Remove the screw bands, wipe the jars clean (sometimes there is sticky syrup on them) and put away without the bands on them. Why?? (I asked that this summer.) Because.... it is easier to see that the seals are still good... and... the bands won't rust on you and cement themselves to the jars. Makes life much easier when you go to open the jars.


5 comments:

Lisa A said...

Hi, Lucy.

I've been using the nice weather to can this week, as well. I've done mixed fruit butter (apple, peaches, and plums), and today am doing orange jam (imagine marmalade put through the food processor). I have a few pears, but not very many, so thought I would do a small batch of pear butter.

I store without the rings, too. ;)

Lisa A (blueknitter)

Lee said...

Thanks for a great canning recipe! Skins on? I think I am going to love this! :)

Susan said...

I never thought of that. Are the pears as mushy as the kind that come in cans from the store?

Proverbs Thirty One Woman said...

There is a reason the modern guidelines say to remove the skins. Leaving them on increases the chances of bacteria staying in the food...The risk is probably fairly slim, but that's the reason :)

Margaret said...

Yay! Looks great and will be trying it with the skins on. Thanks!

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