canning pears - question

[kathy003]

I am canning pears this afternoon, the lady at the fruit market told me to wait until the pears (bartlett) turned a yellow/green color. I have started to can those first.

 

My question is, the blue ball book just says crisp and firm, but does not specify a color that i saw. Can i start with the green ones now? Or should I just wait? I imagine after hot packing them it wouldn't matter what the stage of ripeness was, as long as it was ripe.

 

Advice would be great.

[Cat]

Yes, the ripeness DOES matter.

 

You want them like something you'd want to eat *now*... juicy and ripe with good flavor. Firm, not mushy, but they "give" slightly in your hand.

 

I do my peaches and pears the same way... lay them out on newspapers and sort them by ripeness. Then I can what's closest to ripe as they continue to ripen over several days.

 

No amount of sugar can make unripe pears taste better.

 

 

 

 

[kathy003]

bummer! I will have to wait until more pears ripen. Once i start i hate to stop, this is getting addicting!

 

I could tell as i pealed and packed the quarts which ones weren't as ripe as they should have been.

 

I found the peaches were a little easier, because of soaking them in hot water and just peeling off the skin. But i still enjoyed doing the pears.

 

Thanks for the advice, i appreciate it!

 

 

[Crazy4Canning]

I just did 3 boxes of Barlett pears yesterday. Depending on the variety, the skin will turn different colors as the pears age.

 

The main idea is that they aren't HARD, but are just finger-tip spongy. If you can cut them and they are firm - they are perfect.

 

If they are HARD, they will NOT soften, as Cat says, even in cooking.

 

Hope this helps!

[JCK88]

I usually get a bushel of pears, set them on my closed in porch and let them ripen. As they ripen I can them in small batches. It never feels like too much work that way, even though you have to can pears several times.

 

But everyone is right...they won't soften if you don't let them ripen. I don't go by color. I go by how they feel.

 

Oh..a nice way to serve canned pears...and I have served them this way for husband's snotty self-important boss - is to put them in a pretty dish, sprinkle some fresh raspberries over them, and drizzle a small amount of chocolate on the whole thing. The boss guy was raving about how refreshing the dessert was and how original LOL...I served that because it looks elegant but it's so easy! (and I think I got the idea in some old canning book)

[kathy003]

I will HAVE to try that! I am picking my raspberries up next week for my jam!

 

Yep, i have my pears on newspaper at Cat suggested and am just going to can them as they ripen. It's funny, I don't remember having to wait long for the peaches.

 

Thanks for all the help

 

[ANewMe]

We have a pear tree at work and I have no idea what kind it is, but it is full. There are pears all over the ground and the tree is FULL. Boss says to please come get as many as I want. I've never canned in my life!!! Since they are free, I thought it be a great time to start. Does it matter what type of pear it is?

 

I'm flipping through this forum copying everything I can find on canning and what is needed etc. Very excited but really scared about getting started. I think I have someone who will share her canner with me and help this weekend. I have nothing.

[Violet]

Hi, there.

Pick the pears when they are green and let them ripen. If they are too ripe they won't be very good. Too mushy.

All you need is a deep enough stockpot to put the jars in so they are covered by water by 1 or 2 inches and still have room to boil. If you don't have a rack, use a substitute like some jar rings wired together or a cake cooling rack, etc.

No lid, then cover with a cookie sheet.

You need some way to put them in the hot water and take them out. You can buy canning jar lifters for about $3 here. Worth the money for sure.

Follow the steps in this link and you can do this !

Any more questions, just ask. The ascorbic acid is Fruit Fresh or vitamin c tablets crushed or ascorbic acid crystals.

However, I disagree about the raw packed pears. I prefer them done that way.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/pear_halved.html

[Cat]

I doubt there's much difference in varieties of ripe pears, except Asian tend to be more like apples.

 

Most "home grown" pears I know of are the yellow/green Bartletts... easy to grow and common favorites.

 

I used to can pears like my Mom in halves or quarters, which meant carefully peeling and seed-cavity scooping, then carefully placing them into the jars, etc. Now I just "chunk" them, because I can get so many more in a jar.

 

Only use the good parts. Dark areas where deterioration has started should be cut off or scooped out. You can the best to eat the best. No sense in doing all that work for *junk*.

 

I like a "heavy" syrup, but the last few years I've made it in between medium and heavy and haven't really noticed much difference.

 

And you can make great "Pear Butter" like apple butter.

 

You can do this...