Recipe: Pickled Pears and Pear Preserves

Hi Rita

I remember my grandmother's Pickled Pears also. This recipe is from a 1944 Ball canning booklet. I will (also) post the Pear Preserves recipe from the same booklet.

PICKLED PEARS

1 gallon pears
6 cups sugar
2 cups water
4 cups vinegar
2 pieces ginger root*
2 sticks cinnamon
2 tablespoons whole allspice
1 tablespoon whole cloves

Select firm pears. Pare and leave small ones whole; halve or quarter and core large ones. Boil 20 minutes in clear water.

Boil sugar, water, vinegar, and spices (tied in bag) 10 minutes. Add pears. Let stand overnight.

Cook until tender. Pack pears into hot Ball jars. Cook sirup (original spelling) until thick. Pour over pears. Seal jars. (Process 20 minutes in boiling-water bath.)

*Ginger root would not have been available in my grandmother's location; I don't know if this ingredient would have been left out, or if powdered ginger was substituted.

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PEAR PRESERVES

2 pounds pears
3 cups sugar
3 cups water
1 lemon, sliced thin

Pears should be hard, but ripe for preserving. The Keifer should be stored in a cool, dry place from 3 to 5 weeks before using.

Pare, core and cut fruit as desired. Add 1/2 of the sugar to the water. Boil 2 minutes. Add pears and boil 15 minutes.

Add remaining sugar and lemon. (Orange may be used instead of lemon.) A piece of ginger root may also be added. Cook until fruit is tender and clear. Let stand several hours.

Pack cold fruit into hot Ball jars. Boil sirup until thick as honey. Pour hot sirup over pears; seal at once. (Process 10 minutes in boiling-water bath.)