re: Spiced Pears question - Yes

Yes. You can slice them into quarters.

My wife bought a bag (a 1/2 or 1 bushell) at Hometown Farmers Market for about $4.00. They were the smaller ones but they work good. I peeled them and them sliced them in to quarters or what I could get out of them. I made 3 jars last night and the night before I think I made about 3 or 4 more.

The spiced pears taste so good when they ate warm.
I am going to be trying them on things like French Toast, Ice Cream,Pancakes, etc.

She got the tomatoes (about 1/2 or 1 bushell) for free down at Honetown one week. She bought pears and was asking about them and they gave her a bag for free. It was about 2 or 3 hours before closing. I made 21 (16oz) jars of diced tomatoes. I am planning on making Chili this winter like I do every year. I make a huge pot with 5 lbs of hamburg/5 cans of diced tomatoes and 5 can of Chili Magic Starter (has all the beans and spice into it already).
I plan on deleting the Chili Magic and adding my own stuff this year. A little to spicy that way.

Going to Hometown in a few weeks. They are having a Craft Special on a Saturday or Sunday this month. I am hoping to get good deals on some more canning items.

David