Ginger Pear Preserves
Fresh, local pears are cooked down with sugar, lemon, and ginger for a delicious fall treat.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pears pears should be firm. Do not use ripe pears.
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 lemon cut in half
- 1 one inch piece of fresh ginger optional. Can also use a half teaspoon of powdered ginger.
Instructions
- Wash, peel, core, and dice pears into half inch cubes.
- Place diced pears into large bowl with sugar and both halves of lemons squeezed.
- Stir to combine everything. Make sure pears are coated in sugar and lemon juice.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave overnight in fridge. Pears will release a lot of juice.
- The next day, pour pears with the juice that has formed in the bottom of the bowl, the lemon halves and the peeled cut in half into a tall sided pot.
- Bring the mixture up to a boil over medium high heat. Be careful to stir and not let it bubble out of the pot.
- Cook the pears for 2 hours or until the pear juice has turned into a thick syrup and the pears are translucent and soft. Be sure to stir the pears often when the mixture starts to thicken.
- Discard the ginger and lemons.
- Place hot pear preserves into clean mason jars. I filled 6, four-ounce mason jars with this recipe.
- Seal the jars with lids. You can heat treat them in a stock pot of boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Allow the jars to cool overnight undisturbed.
- Sealed pear jars will last up to a year. Unsealed jars will last up to 2 months in the refrigerator.
- Enjoy!