preserving the season | ginger pear preserves

This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.*

the light is shifting from the skies, the mornings are wrapped in a chill, the shift is upon us. the warmth of summer slowly slips into fall. do you feel it?

pears are ready to be plucked from the trees. our dear friends have a pear tree in their yard and invited us to pick from its abundance this year. in picking pears I learned they are not a fruit that ripens on the tree but ripens from the inside out. to know if a pear is ready lift it, and if it pops from the branch it is ready to fill your baskets. once I picked from this tree, I noticed a quite a few speckled through our tiny town on evening walks. i’d love to plant pear trees at our future homestead. last year, I made this delicious Ball® Recipe for Cinnamon Spiced Pears and this year, I’m excited to share another novel way to put up pears found from your local markets or your neighborhood tree, Gingered Pear Preserves.

this recipe for preserves is a traditional long cook recipe with four simple ingredients and requiring no pectin. The flavors combination is intriguing and delicious. Canned in Ball® Quilted Crystal Half Pint Jars these would make sweet holidays gifts too.

Gingered Pear Preserves

Ingredients

5-1/2 cups finely chopped cored peeled pears (about 8 medium)

Grated zest and juice of 3 limes

2-1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Directions

Prepare your water canner. Sanitize and heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.

Combine pears, lime zest and juice, sugar and ginger in a large stainless-steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and test gel. If preserves break from spoon in a sheet or flake, it is at the gel stage. Skim off foam. If your mixture has not reached the gel stage, return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 5 minutes. Repeat gel stage test and cooking as needed.

Ladle hot jam into a hot jar leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jars in the boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.

Enjoy!

Have you ever preserved fall harvests of freshly picked pears? What are you preserving as fall begins to settle in?

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.