10 am Sunday--I left the house.
In this heat and with my physical limitations, this was a short session. I think I got 3 gallons in a box and smallish paper bag. Later, I will weigh them--probably ten pounds. Later, I will pick more.
A friend said he would come help and get some for himself. Now, I won't tell him where they are since he did not answer the phone! Jerk! He will ask for some of mine. Nope!
This morning, I searched for a pear preserve recipe. Later, I will look for a spiced pear recipe. The spiced pears have less sugar, so most will be spiced pears. I told the young couple I would give them some pear preserves.
The recipe for pear preserves said they did not have to be put in a water bath canner...hmmm. I think I will wbc them anyway. The old recipe I have used in the past came from a 1941 recipe book. Most of the recipes on the internet had 10 ingredients. The one I will use has three ingredients: pears, sugar, lemon juice. Maybe both of them have water as an ingredient, not sure.
Last winter, I had spiced pears for the first time on the plate with a dinner at a church. They were not a dessert and barely sweet. I think a lite simple syrup will work on those. Maybe I will use Red Hots in a few jars of pears.
The largest pear I found was almost as large as a hard ball and the smallest was golf ball sized. Most were smaller than a tennis ball. Quite a few conked me on the head. The ones I picked before the tornado took out my pear tree on public land were all larger than a soft ball. I dodged those! Last year, this same tree had tennis ball pears. I wonder what happened. ??? Not enough rain?
Just an aside--I hate pears. I like the canned ones in the store. Pears are the only fruit I prefer canned. I know it is strange, but the texture of a fresh pear just gags me. Pear preserves and spiced pears make me happy.
11:00 am
Okay, I quit sweating and can breathe, so I am going to hydrate myself, get pears from the car. Then, I will rest a bit and go get another ten +/- pounds.
11:45
My hands are trembling. My shoulders hurt from reaching up! I am drenched with sweat. However, I picked half a large grocery bag full. I am sure I have five gallons.
These will have to sit a few days to ripen a bit before cutting and canning, so I have time to prepare jars. I am not giving away a canning jar to the people with the tree in their rent yard. They will get jelly jars. If they can get me another ten gallons, they will get sealed canning jars that I may never see again.
I think I have found the recipe I am going to use, but would welcome any recipe you recommend. I have a few days to decide the one I will use. I just have to get Red Hots. Fruit Fresh and sugar are here.
Your turn
Do you like pears in a can from the store, fresh out of hand, pear preserves, spiced pears, pears in Red Hots? What is your favorite recipe if you can pears?
Linda, we have two pear trees and do not spray them.canned pears are my preference because they are already cleaned. Pears have to be picked at the proper ripeness or they are gritty. At least ours are. And you have to dodge yellow jackets on the ground. I cook pears just like apples, sugar and cinnamon in the microwave. Then put them thru the food mill. No peeling. Good to accompany dinner like applesauce. Its nice to share but not if you get burned.
ReplyDeletecarol,
DeleteThese trees have not been sprayed, thankfully. The couple who live there cleaned up all the pears, on the ground so there was only one wasp, not one yellow jacket. I told them yesterday if they did not get the pears up, yellow jackets would come.
I think store bought pears are gritty to an extent.
One time, I made pear sauce.
That's funny because pears are the only fruit I love to eat fresh but can't tolerate canned or in preserves. haha! the texture of them canned or put up makes me gag, not the fresh texture. To each their own i guess! :D
ReplyDeleteedifice rex,
DeleteI will eat the apples and you can have the fresh pears. Your pears would be safe around me...lol.
I am a tactile eater and I love perfectly ripe pears, but can't abide green or overripe ones. Canned pears are ok, but I can't stand pear preserves.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
DeleteMy sister forced a bite of "perfect" pear on me when I was 35 and I still did not like it. So, I guess I never will. Pear preserves are cloyingly sweet, so I don't eat many at a time. Two or three pieces of the pear and some syrup from the jar are all I can handle.
Oh, and it is just too hot to go picking anything today! I am not even cutting the okra in my backyard.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
DeleteNo one will claim your okra. Only the thought that they might change their minds or let someone else have them kept me picking. Then, I sneezed for thirty minutes and am itching on my arms. I have to wash my hair before it sours on my head.
A perfectly ripe pear is perhaps my favorite fruit, or at least in the top three!
ReplyDeleteI have a great recipe for pear chutney that I can send you if you think you might want to try it.
nomad
DeleteYou really do like pears! Yes, I would like the recipe. I might try it. I have enough pears to try lots of recipes...lol.
I love really old cookbooks and seeing how things have changed.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a pear girl but give me a peach and I'm over the moon. We had real Georgia peaches the other day and I made a pig of myself. They were wonderful.
Sonya Ann,
DeleteI only have two old cookbooks. Well, if you count the one my mother gave me when I went to school in 1964, I have three.
Someone gave me a basket of peaches. I sat down and ate four immediately. They were so juicy and, yes, wonderful.
My grandma always used the pear, sugar, lemon juice recipe. I can almost taste it. Good Luck with your pears!
ReplyDeleteT'Pol,
DeleteThese new recipes have things like brown sugar and lots of spices. I am quite sure you grandma had it right! Thanks.