Recipe: Canning Pear Sauce

Hi,

Just a few cautionary words...pears are borderline acid. To can pears additional acid is required to bring the pH of the product to safe levels - below 4.6. The additional acid can be in the form of lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar or ascorbic acid. Hopefully, the recipe used has added acid.

Here are some instructions for water bath processing and freezing pear sauce. (Half-pint or 4 ounce jars can be used, too.)

To process: Pour the sauce into hot, scalded half-pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe Rims and threads clean with a clean, damp cloth. Remove air bubbles. Add additional sauce if necessary to achieve 1/2-inch headspace. Seal according to manufacturer's directions. Process for 15 minutes in a simmering hot water bath at 200 degrees F. Remove jars from canner and let stand for 12 to 24 hours in a draft free place. Store in a cool, dark, dry place.

To freeze: Prepare the recipe as directed. Cool the sauce, then ladle into freezer containers leaving 1/2-inch headspace and freeze. To serve cold, thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator. To serve warm, partially thaw in the refrigerator, then warm in a covered saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Or microwave on high until warm.