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In most parts of the United States, pears are one of the hardiest fruit crops around. Many abandoned homesteads still have pear trees producing abundantly, and adding pears to your yard or orchard is a great long-term homesteading plan. Fortunately, pears are also pretty versatile and lend themselves well to preserving through cold storage, dehydrating, freezing, freeze drying, and canning.
Harvesting Pears
The first trick to preserving pears is to know when to harvest the fruit. The first year our pear tree produced, it gave just a single fruit and I let it sit on the tree far too long. By the time I picked that lone pear, the fruit was mostly rotted. You can bet I didn't make that mistake again!
The best indication of when to harvest pears is how easily they come off the tree. Grasp the bottom of the pear and tip the fruit upward. If the stem readily snaps off the branch, the pear is ready for harvest.
After harvesting, many pears benefit from a one or two day chilling period at about 30 degrees F., which will enhance the fruit's flavor and sweetness. After chilling, you may let pears ripen at room temperature. Don't let them get too soft, though, or they will be much more difficult to preserve. (Do note that if you plan to store your pears in cold storage, you don't want to ripen them on the counter first. Instead, put the pears directly into storage, as explained below, and ripen on the counter as needed.)
And if you've got a pear that doesn't want to soften up on the counter? It's likely an old fashioned cooking pear. These will never feel soft like, say, a Bartlett does. But that's okay, because they are fabulous cooked, made into jam/preserves, or pearbutter or pearsauce.
Root Cellaring Pears
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| Prepping pears for cool storage. |
Pears can happily sit in a root cellar (or a root cellar-like environment) for 2 or 3 months - sometimes longer. Some varieties store better than others, with D'Anjou, Winter Nelis, Comice, and Bosc topping the list of pears that are perfect for cold storage. (If you aren't fortunate enough to have a root cellar, you may still be able to store pears for a few months in a cool environment like your garage, basement, cool closet, or an extra refrigerator.)
Only unblemished pears store well, and fruit with the stems still attached fair better than fruit with stems that have been pulled out. Wrap individual pears in black and white newspaper or brown packing paper, then place them in a single layer in a box - preferably one lined with perforated plastic.
The storage area should ideally be 20 - 31 degrees F. with 80 - 90 percent relative humidity. If stored at too high a temperature, pears will start rotting before they ever ripen. (Although some varieties of pears tolerate higher temperatures better than others.) Check the temperature and humidity in several areas in your root cellar to find the best spot for storing pears.
Since pears emit ethylene gas, which speeds the ripening and spoiling of many other foods, keep them stored well away from asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, greens, peppers, potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, and yams.
In addition, it's an excellent idea to sort the pears by size before storing them. Small pears will ripen more quickly, so keep them all together and eat them first.
Canning Pears
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| Pears canned in light syrup. |
Peeling is what makes canning pears a bit fussy and time consuming, so many people wonder: Is peeling pears before canning them necessary? A lot of people try canning pears with the peels on and report they like them just fine. A few even say they prefer them to pears that have had their peels removed. I think it depends upon what type of pear you're canning; it seems some pear peels come through the canning process more palatable than others.
The real question is, however, does leaving the peels on make canned pears less safe to eat? The answer is yes. The peels are more likely to contain microorganisms that cause spoilage and foodborne illness and unless the tested safe canning recipe (from Ball/Bernardin, The National Center for Home Food Preservation, the Extension offices, or the USDA) specifically says it's okay to leave the peels on, they must be removed or the end product may spoil in the pantry.
With firm fruit, you may be able to use an apple peeler/corer to peel pears more quickly, or you may simply use a paring knife or fruit peeler. You may also blanch firm pears to remove their peel:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add a layer of pears. Wait 15 - 20 seconds, then remove the pears with a slotted spoon.
3. Plunge the pears into ice water.
4. As soon as the fruit is cool enough to handle, use your thumbs to push the peels off the pears. (If the peels don't readily slip off, place the pears back into the boiling water for a few more seconds.)
Another note of interest is that pears and apples are safely interchangeable in home canning recipes. That means you can exchange pears for any test safe canning recipe you like, including pie filling and juice.
Canned Pear Halves
These are delicious straight out of the jar, and perfect for a simple, healthy dessert. You may also use canned pear halves to make cobblers, pie, and similar baked goods. Recipe here.
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| Pear halves canned in light syrup. |
Pearsauce
Like applesauce, but with pears. This is a special treat at our house - and the perfect way to deal with pears that are too soft to can into halves. Recipe here.
Pear Butter
This delicious cousin of apple butter is under-appreciated and another good way to use up softer pears. Use it like a jam. See recipe here.
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| Pear butter. |
Pear Mincemeat Pie Filling
Nothing you can buy in the store compares to this treat, which is perfect for the holidays. Makes about 9 pints. Recipe adapted from The Ball Blue Book by UCCE Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County. BONUS: You don't have to peel the pears!
1. Peel, quarter, and core 7 lbs. pears. Cut 1 lemon into quarters and remove the seeds.
2. Chop the pears, lemon, and 2 lbs. of seedless raisins.
3. Pour the fruit mixture into a large, nonreactive pot. Add 6 3/4 cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cloves, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 1 tablespoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 cup white vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring often.
4. Ladle into hot canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process pint jars 25 minutes in a water bath canner. (See NOTE at the bottom of this post for important safety information about adjusting processing times for your altitude.)
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| Pear mincemeat pie filling. |
Quick Pickled Pears
For those who love pickles, pickled pears should not be missed. This is a perfect preserving method for small, hard pears. Recipe here.
Pectin-Free Spiced Pear Jam
Makes about 6 jelly jars.
1. In a large pot, combine 8 cups coarsely chopped pears, 4 cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer until thick, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Stir often to prevent scorching.
3. Ladle into hot jelly jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. (See NOTE at the bottom of this post for important safety information about adjusting processing times for your altitude.)
Carrot Cake Jam (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Autumn Cranberry Pear Jam (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Cinnamon Pear Jam (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Ginger Pear Marmalade (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Ginger Pear Preserves (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Hot 'n' Sweet Chili Sauce (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Pear Jelly (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Pear Port Compote (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Peppery Pear Salsa (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Seasoned Pear Almond Conserve (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Spirited Pears (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Summer Fruit Cocktail (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Summer Salsa (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Pear Chutney (The Ball Blue Book, 38th edition)
Pears in Cinnamon Apple Juice (The Ball Blue Book, 38th edition)
Pears and Nectarines in Grape Juice (The Ball Blue Book, 38th edition)
Freezing Pears
I tend to prefer shelf stable methods of preservation, but when the harvest days are hot and busy, sometimes freezing fruit feels a bit easier! Happily, pears freeze well, and are especially useful for baking projects.
1. Peel and core pears. Slice. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends slicing medium-sized pears into twelfths, and large pears into sixteenths. To prevent browning, place pear slices in lemon water (1 tablespoon of juice per cup of water) as you go.
2. Prepare a syrup. For a very light syrup, dissolve 1/2 cup granulated sugar into 4 cups warm water, stirring until the water is clear. For a heavier syrup, use 2 3/4 cups of granulated sugar and 4 cups of water. Allow the syrup to come to room temperature. (You may also freeze pears in plain water, but the end result may be bland.)
3. Place prepared pears in a freezer container and cover with the syrup, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. To keep the pears under the syrup (which will help prevent browning and off flavors), place a crumbled piece of wax paper between the fruit and the container's opening.
Frozen Pear Pie Filling
This delicious pie filling is suitable only for freezing or using right away, since it contains cornstarch (an ingredient not considered safe for canning).
1. Peel, core, and dice about 7 pears into medium chunks. Toss the prepared pears with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
2. Pour the pears into a medium saucepan placed over medium high heat. Cook and stir for about 8 minutes, letting the pears break down. They will become juicy, but you should still have pear chunks in the pan. Remove from the heat.
3. In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.
4. Gently stir the sugar mixture into the pears and place the saucepan back over the heat. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens.
5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer to freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Dehydrating Pears
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| Dried pears. |
Dehydrated pears are a sweet treat that my kids eat like candy. They also take less of my hands-on time, which makes dried pears a real win-win on our homestead. If desired, you may rehydrate these pears for baking projects.
1. Slice pears. Thinner slices dry more quickly. If you wish to prevent browning, place the slices in a lemon water mixture (1 tablespoon of juice to 1 cup of water) as you go. Sometimes I don't even bother to core pears before dehydrating; I just cut them into circles. Other times, I core the pears and dehydrate half moons.
2. Place the prepared pears on the tray of a food dehydrator. Pieces should not touch.
3. Dehydrate at 135 degrees F. Rotate trays at least once.
4. To determine whether the pears are fully dehydrated, tear a piece. If no liquid comes out, it's done. Remove dehydrated pears as they become available, to avoid over-drying. Consolidate the remaining pear pieces to speed the drying time.
5. Store dehydrated pears in an air tight container in a cool, dark location. They will keep at least a year. You may also dehydrate pear pieces in the oven or your oven's warming drawer. Lay them on a footed cooling rack, placed on top of a rimmed baking sheet and use the lowest temperature your oven has, as close to 135 degrees F. as possible.
You may also dry pears in the sun when you'll be having a series of warm, dry days. Turn them once or twice a day.
Freeze Drying Pears
Freeze dried pear slices are a delicious snack that retain more nutrients than dehydrated slices. And like dehydrated pear slices, you may rehydrate them and use them in baking.
To freeze dry pear slices, prepare them exactly as described in the dehydrating section, then place them in a single layer on the trays of your freeze dryer. I recommend lining the trays with parchment paper so the fruit doesn't stick To get more fruit on each tray, place a layer of parchment paper over the first layer of pear slices, and add more slices on top. Run the machine. Store freeze dried pears in a canning jar (for short term storage) or in Mylar bags with appropriately-sized oxygen absorbers (for storage up to 20 years).
NOTE that all canning processing times are appropriate for those living at an altitude of 1,000 feet or lower. If your altitude is higher, please click here for important safety information.
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