Pear Butter
Last spring, Emma and I took a canning class. We were anticipating a great harvest from our first garden. Well, the tomatoes didn't cooperate...although Everson enjoyed picking tomatoes as soon as they were ripe...and eating them right off the plant!
Last week, I split a case of 150 pears with someone from our produce coop. They weren't ripe when I got them. But it seems that my 75 pears all ripened at the same time. After forcing pear upon pear to each of my family members, I decided to actually put my canning class to good use. I had made pear butter before, only to have it eaten immediately by my children. Ellie and I processed a TON of pears. My wrists were sore from peeling. Poor Ellie's hands were tired from wrangling slippery pears so she could slice them.
At the end of the day, I had made a whopping 7 half-pints of pear butter. One was used at dinner on fresh bread, served with chicken noodle soup. One is in the fridge and the remaining 5 are in my pantry. What a great feeling! I can can anything! Last night I found a recipe for a marmalade that uses carrots, oranges, and lemons. I think I may just try it on my unsuspecting children. They DO like carrots, but the thought of spreading cold, mashed carrots on bread gives them the shivers.
Fortunately for me, my mom has done 3 estate sales this fall...and I have benefitted greatly...I have many many canning jars and rings.
We learned a lot from our garden this summer...how to grow things in the hot hot Texas sun...how our compost has to be more diverse...how strawberries need to be planted in the part of the yard that has more shade...
Next summer, I want to make and can spaghetti sauce and salsa!
Last spring, Emma and I took a canning class. We were anticipating a great harvest from our first garden. Well, the tomatoes didn't cooperate...although Everson enjoyed picking tomatoes as soon as they were ripe...and eating them right off the plant!
Last week, I split a case of 150 pears with someone from our produce coop. They weren't ripe when I got them. But it seems that my 75 pears all ripened at the same time. After forcing pear upon pear to each of my family members, I decided to actually put my canning class to good use. I had made pear butter before, only to have it eaten immediately by my children. Ellie and I processed a TON of pears. My wrists were sore from peeling. Poor Ellie's hands were tired from wrangling slippery pears so she could slice them.
At the end of the day, I had made a whopping 7 half-pints of pear butter. One was used at dinner on fresh bread, served with chicken noodle soup. One is in the fridge and the remaining 5 are in my pantry. What a great feeling! I can can anything! Last night I found a recipe for a marmalade that uses carrots, oranges, and lemons. I think I may just try it on my unsuspecting children. They DO like carrots, but the thought of spreading cold, mashed carrots on bread gives them the shivers.
Fortunately for me, my mom has done 3 estate sales this fall...and I have benefitted greatly...I have many many canning jars and rings.
We learned a lot from our garden this summer...how to grow things in the hot hot Texas sun...how our compost has to be more diverse...how strawberries need to be planted in the part of the yard that has more shade...
Next summer, I want to make and can spaghetti sauce and salsa!
4 comments:
Mmmmm! So will we be getting a jar of pear butter for Christmas this year? Sounds very yummy...
So....Emma was your canning class partner and Ellie was your actual canning partner. It's an Armstrong women tradition in the making! What fun!
That brings back memories of when I used to do canning. That was before I discovered spagetti sauce in the jar at the supermarket, lol. Ragu does not measure up to the homemade sauce.
The pear butter jars look so good. A lot of work, but very satisfying when you are finished.
You ROCK! You ARE getting crunchier all the time. ::snort::
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