Pear Butter,What Really Happend

Ok, so I posted yesterday that I intended to use the crockpot and let it do the work for me.BUT, I kinda needed to have it finished by the time I picked Nate up from school.So inorder to save time,I let the pears cook in the crockpot for about an hr and half,then added them to my big deep stock pot. It still took them right at 2 hrs to cook like that,on med heat,with a lid over it.
I washed my jars.This year since I stocked up last year,I have not had to buy any jars. But yesterday I had to scour my kitchen and china cabinet for loose stragelers.I even poured a few things out from 2 half pints I had in the fridge. I washed 5 pints, 4 half pints,and one teeny lil 1/4 pint jar. Got my big canner going. It didnt start even boiling until time to put the jars into it.
So, aside from using my stock pot,I still followed the basic instructions. I got out the blender, which Ive never had good luck with,mind you,so I was a wee leary of how that would all work. But thankfully,I had all my dishes washed and had a large mixing bowl handy. So,I used a 2 cup measuring cup and added 4 cups at a time inti the blender. I hit puree for about one solid minute,then hit blend on high for about 30 seconds. It turned into a sort of taupe color with brown specks in it. The brown specks being peeling. I tasted the plain pears. to them I added 1 cup of left over preserve syrup from a batch of preserves I cooked lightly. then added 2/3 cup sugar. Plenty sweet. I think if you dont have any sugar try 1/2 cup white corn syrup,then taste.Add more as needed. so back into the pot the pears went,again on meduim heat. since I didnt like the color,I added a few drops of neon pink food coloring,and a few drops of purple. It came out mauve and I liked it. so,then I added an 11 oz bag of cramel bits. and began to stir. and stir and stir, I also turned up the heat to med/high. You know your own stove and how temps work,so on my trusty builder grade hotpoint stove between 7 and 8 is where it sat. I ran to potty, scrubbing my hands,of cource. I bet I washed my hands 5 times during the cooking process. I didnt want to contaminate anything. then I cranked up the heat to high and kept stirring the entire time. {I had the radio on,so me and the Judds,sang to the bubbling caludron} You get into a rythm with it, being sure that youre touching the bottom with the wooden spoon. Id stir for 5 minutes at a time,then check to see exactly HOW it was boiling. I wanted it to rolling boil before I jarred it up. When I removed my spoon,and the mauve lava esque stuff hit the bottom of our over stove microwave,I determined it was time to jar up. My canning funnel came in SO handy for this batch. Some things you dont have to use it with,but this stuff,it was a MUST. I removed it from the heat,and set it on my silicone pampered chef square thingie. But a dishtowel works fine too.Just double it over, b/c that heavy bottomed pot was HOT! So I began to sppon it into the jars. I spooned nad I spooned. I wound up using every jar I had washed and sterlized. 5 pints, 3 half pints and the one 1/4 pint. it worked out perfectly! And my my does hte butter taste GOOD!!!! Yes,its kinda grainy,but its b/c some of the pears are.
I fully plan on making another batch of this stuff either today or tomorrow and dont plan on changing my techinque at all. I am going to have to get up in the attic and dig around in my box of jars up there. And I may have to buy some more lids. But if I dont have enoguh pints,the pear butter will be going into quarts!
So thats how it really went down at my house with Mama's time tested recipe. The only thing she said shed do different was not use the food coloring! She likes natural colored stuff and Im more into color! I bet a package of Kooliade added while cooking would work too. And maybe since its 100 % citric acid,it would help with the browning. I think lemon aide flavor would work best.

I hope that if you try this,you sing to your pot. A long wooden spoon works great for a mic!

Caramel Pear Butter

So My Mama makes this caramel apple butter that is to die for good.Makes a great fruit dip,or spread,or probably even a good "jam cake". So since I still have pears growing out of my ears, {I really should listen to Josh when he says Ive got enough. :)} So today I called her up and asked if you could use pears to make her caramel stuff,and she siad she didnt see why not. So here goes nothing!

Recipe:
1 crock pot {I have a big one}
20ish med size pears, from other post,friends tree.Im sure the ones from the grocery will work too
2 cups white grape or apple juice. {if you dont have either of those,Im sure water would work}
1 cup sugar
1 bag of Kraft caramels for baking. Those lil pellet looking things.Found seasonaly at the grocery store. Homeade caramel would work,or 2 bags of the wrapped ones.

A large knife
Cutting board
melon baller
garbage bowl handy. {I use a sauce pot that I burned rice in,and even with all my remedies,it aint coming off,so not to toss out a perfectly burned up pan,I use it in leiu of a garbage bowl. TY Rachael Ray}
Collander
Blender or food processor
big pot
Jars. lids rings,water bath canner.{this will not be used for several hours}{about 5 or 6 pint jars}
Wooden spoon, large scooping spoon
canning funnel
sauce pan big enough to fit lids and rings in

1. set crock pot up, turn on high
2. rinse pears in collander in the sink
3. place cutting board on counter,set GB in a handy spot, grab pears.
4. cut the tops and bottoms off pears. {if there is still a nice size morsel on the bottom part, cut it off and toss it into crock pt.
5. scoop out center part of pears. Its ok if you dont get all the woody part out where the stem attaches,it will be pureed later
6. when all the pears are in the crockpot, add 2 cups juice. {mind you the pears still have the peeling on them
7. cover crock pot and let it work its mushing,cooking majic for about 4 hours{I think overnight on low would be fine too}
8.when pears have cooked down and are a mushy consistancy, pour pears into a large stock pot.
9. Using a large spoon, add pears,in small groups into the blender,return to crock pot.
10. Taste pears, if they are as sweet as you want them only add 1/2 cup sugar.But if the pears are a wee under ripe,add the whole cup
11.add caramel bits, the whole bag stir very well. return crock pot to high heat setting and cover.
12. stir about every 20 minutes until the caramel has all melted and pears are a thick,gloppy consitancy
13.while the caramel is melting and doing it yummy thing, wash your jars. It should make about 5 pints,but wash more,just to be sure.{Im writting the recipe before the canning part,so i really dont know just yet}
14. Crank up the heat under the water bath canner
15. place lids and rings into sauce pan,cover with water and boil
16. When pear mix is the consitancy you want it, spoon into jars.leaving 1/4 inch head space
17. Water bath pints for ten minutes, or half pints for 5.

ENJOY!!!
* apples may be used in place of pears. I reccomend either Granny Smith, or Macintosh. Or use a mix of both.
* Use any variety of pears you like. Mine come from a tree in a friends yard and are just yard variety green pears. If you use bosc pears,I reccomend adding some green ones in it too.Bosc are sweet,and you add sugar to it.
* My Mom sent a jar of this with Nathan to his first grade teacher for a lil "happy". She to this day still raves about it. She will be getting a pint of this pear stuff

Old Fashioned Pear Preserves Recipe

Ok, So I have googled until my eyes are crossed at how to make pear preserves. Some say to let them sit overnight in sugar. Others say to boil them in sugar and then drain the sugar syrup off of them and "dry " pack the pears then add the syrup back over them. Well, I have come up with my own way to do it. With my Mama and Memaw's tips in the back of my mind.



First, find a friend with a pear tree. Offer a pie,and ask if you can pick pears. Or offer preserves in exchange for pears.

Pick the pears. You want to pick large to medium pears. The small ones need a wee bit more time.So therefore there will be more for later batches.

Start small.Dont make a huge batch until youve tried it before.See what works for your stove,your pot,and where you live.
First You will need:
1 canner pot. Can be found at Walmart, or even your local Mom and Pop hardware store
5 pint jars or 10 1/2 pint jars
1 pair of tongs,
1 large outh funnel
10 jar lids and rings
med size pan, large enough for lids and rings to swim in
1 large wooden spoon
1 scooping spoon, a ladle works,or just a big scooped bottom spoon
A stove,preferably indoors where there is A.C.
Time.
10 pears,fresh from the tree,or even 2 days,I've found if left in Joshes truck for 4 days they get mushy and fonkey
5 lb bag of sugar.
1 cup measuring cup
1 large stock pot
1 fresh lemon
candied ginger, optional
1 pairing knife, very sharp! that is a must,that it be sharp and you can maneouver it.
1 big bowl
1 walmart sack, or kroger or where ever.just get a sack,you know,the ones you use in your bathroom can or beside the couch.
1 dishtowel,not a good one either,get one that broke in.

So that is what you need.

Now here comes my little prodgect. I have made the sit overnight preserves,and right now currently in my own large stock pot are pears.They have been sitting in lemon juice,1 1/2 cups water,and 5 cups of sugar. I am going to test if setting them soaking in sugar really makes a difference.

Ok, so now you have all your tools. Find something good on TV or go outside and turn on the radio

Ok, Now that you have all you to do is cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from one half into large bowl.Add 1-2 cups of water. if seeds get in there,pick em out. It helps to nuke the lemon for about 15 seconds,then roll it on the counter a few turns. Juice comes right out.
Now, take the pears, bowl with water in it,knife,sack,and dish towel.
find a comfy place to sit,
place bowl to the side of whatever handness you are not.
place sack in lap
take first pear and peel it,letting skin drop into sack.
put it in the bowl.be sure to roll it in the lemon juice.
follow suit with the remaining pears.
Now, cut up the pears,cut them big or small,but Id say no bigger than a quarter size,I like mine a small thin dice.
Now once thats done, add sugar.If you have 6 cups of pears, add 4-5 cups of sugar.
let sit on counter covered in dish towel over night.If youre a germaphob,place in fridge.

Day 2.
give the bowl of pears a good stir.
pour into big pot.
add remaining lemon juice. start it on high,until it boils. stir some while coming to a boil.its hard to scrub off a pan,trust me. reduce to med heat.
Now,this is going to take a while,so go turn on a load of laundry.Come back and stir the pot.
I stir mine about every ten minutes for about 45 minutes. As the syrup begins to thicken,stir it more often.
Its done when the pears are semi translucent,or fully translucent and syrup is thick and honey colored.

As the pears cook away, fill your big pot up to a bit over half full. bring to a boil,then simmer until pears are done cooking,then return to roiling boil.
Clean jars. I was mine int he sink with dish soap and vinegar.In as hot as you can possibly stand it water.Let them soak about 5 minutes.
While theyre soaking, get pot out for lids and rings. put lids and rings into pot,cover with water and bring to a rolling boil,then simmer.
rinse jars in pure hot water.invert on a baking rack,over a dish towel.

When pears are finished, place jars on a think cutting sheet,cutting board,or even a cookie sheet would work.
turn heat off lids,drain water
get funnel and place it over the first jar. Use spoon or ladle and add pears to jars.
****Be SURE to leave 1/4 inch headspace in jars.If you cant tell how big that is,I fill mine till just when the jar begins to form where the rings twist on.
Place lids on jars, then twist on rings. I use a dishtowel for this. use half of it to hold the hot jar,and the other end to squeeze the ring on tight.

Use jar tongs and put jars into water bath canner
Boil ten minutes. take jars out and sit them on the counter to cool.

ENJOY!!!!!
****At Walmart and probably even a regular grocery store this time of year,a canning kit can be found. The box has a funnel,Jar tongs, a lid picker upper thingie with a magnet on it,and this thing that looks like a ruler with teeth on the end of it. last year I used all of the tools,but now I can judge better how full 1/4 is, and I lost the magnent thingie,so I just use my hands to pick up the lids.
If you add ginger to your pears, add it when you begin to boil it,and keep it whole if you plan to remove it.If you plan to just keep it in the pears,then dice it.
* I add lemon zest to my preserves. I simply just like it.
*jars can be used again and again.so can rings,but lids should only be used once. As when youre done with whatever is in the jar,throw away the lid,but keep the ring and jar.
* dont cover the pears once theyre in the pot.they will get too mushy.

I hope you enjoy making these. I tried to give the instructions from a novice canners veiw point.This is only my second year to can,and if you read previous post from last summer,you will see that it is trial and error. This year I feel like a pro.But theres always new things to can,and tips to learn!!!

Pears,Pears,Pears

Today I made pear butter. Sarah Style.lol. I hacked on pears,chuncked them and cooked them with sugared giner,lemon zest and a shot of white grape juice. So far so good. Then Aimees cousin Kelli told me she wanted strawberry preserves. I thought hmmmm, so I cooked and cooked and cooked them pears,adding what was left in a 5lbs bag of sugar. probably only 2 1/2 cups. added some all spice,shot of cinnamon and some fresh nutmeg. got it all syrup/pulpy and cooked it for about 45 minutes. Using my handy dandy dollar tree tater masher,I smoshed them things down some more to the consistancy of crushed pineapple. lil chunky,lil mushy. Then hard boiled it for 10 minutes or so. then added a box of strawberry jello. I got 4 1/2 pints and 3 whole pints. I always wash more jars then I think Ill need, and that was a good thing today, b/c I used them all. it taste really good!!! at least the glop that I dropped on my cutting board did. I learned last year when making jelly that using those flimsy cutting boards instaed of a towel is easier to clean. then I made a pear/apple pie. COmplete with lattice crust. Forbessised lattice crust. Im scared to weave it as yet. Then after I egg washed and spirnkled brown sugar over it I thought, SHIT, I forgot to put some butter in it. So thankfully my lattice looks like a first grader did it with the gaps, so I just diced some butter and whaa la! butter. then put a pot roast on. all the while caleb tearing up my living room! now I wait.....to see if the pear pie I got volunteered to make comes out decent and not burned. I cheated on the crust and bought that kind ya roll out. That stuff is a pian in the ass let me tell ya. It would have been easier just to make it myself! I had to get out my Joy Of Cooking to find out how long youre supposed to cook apple pie and on what temp. First thing it said to do was not to let your filling set up over 15 minutes or it will be too watery. mine had been there for 20. SO I commenced to hacking more pears and apples in hopes not to have a soggy pie. we shall see.I added another heaping tablespoon of flour just for good measure though. I kinda added this and that to it,Josh requested not much cinnamon, but he didnt say nothing about nutmeg and all spice. Just checked on my pie. Thankfully, froma tip from Paula deen I put the pie on a cookie sheet,b/c its dripping out! So thats my day today, a day of domestic godessdom!!! complete with flour and pear juice all over my apnts, blood on my shirt from where I hacked my thumb whilst peeling pears, and Caleb Pbj from his pre nap smooch on my hole. aka,my belly button!!!! Disclaimer:I typed this while smoking,so my grammar is BAD!!! And Ive not eaten today,So Im a bit shaky!

Using real names now, Josh is my husband and Nathan and Caleb are my kids!

Purple thums and a stinky house...

Why might I have purple thums and a stinky house,you may be wondering?Its all my mother in laws {MIL} fault.ANd Samantha's...
The other night I cooked a bag of frozen purple hull peas with supper.For you non pea eaters,youre missing out.This small beady pea is divine!The ones I had in the freezer were already,grown,hulled,blanched,bagged and frozen.they came from Sam via her MIL.Man they were good.Levi and I tore them up.Neil and Jake ate their normal portions.I added a bit of smoked hawg jowl and salt and let em rip.mmmmm.
So,yesterday,while visiting the Grands {neils grandpartnes,I've shortend their names},my MIL and FIL met us there to see the boys.{neil was sleeping}.I commented to her about the peas i had cooked the night before and asked her if she had anymore in the garden.SHe has a HUGE one behind the other Grands house,across the road from them.She said there were a few,and I was wlecome to come pick them.Ok,fair enough,I thought.Free food,we'll eat!mmm.She taught me a few weeks ago how to blanch and bag,so I wasnt scared.Thinking there would be enought for a "mess".We set out for the grands.There was a ton of peas in my mind,but she informed me they had already been pretty much picked over.We got to pickin'.Its 90 degrees,finally cooling off around here,and nary a breeze for a while.I didnt care.I was on a mission to further become the ultimate domestic godess.If that ment pickin peas for my men then so be it.
After picking them,we sat down on the shady back porch to enjoy a glass of water and a smoke.I was talking to Nanny about Vicksburg.{thats where I was born,and still have various family members there}.I was telling ehr some of what I knew about the seige and about Fort Hill.And that I cant wait to share it with Neil in about 6 weeks when we head that way.We were just chattering when MIL pops up with hmmmmm.
When she says hmmmmm,aint no telling what she might say.She is one of the smarted women I know.I swear she could build a house with a tooth pick and a tarp.If she puts her mind to do it,then dangit it gets done.NOW,most of the time.She and my FIL have a neat dynamic.they are eqaul in their 30 year marriage and treat each other with the ultimate respect.I dont see them get gooshy too much,but Hell I guess when Ive been married that long,Neil will know how i feel with out too much petting.lol.They are a great team.Anyway....
HMMMMM,after much face scrinching and eyebrow lifting trying to figure out how to read the farmers almanac,she informs us that it said TODAY was the day to plant late beans.I asked her where exactly she planned to plant them,she siad we'd have to dig up the purple hulls.Theyve played out pretty much anyway....
I should have kept my mouth shut then and there and simply nodded.Like I said I have a bog mouth...So I said,Ok,lets do it.She hemed and hawed about pullin the phulls and tilling it up and finding the seeds and just what seeds....Not to be detried when I had readily avaliable ppl to babysit,I volunteered for the job.During a breif stint in the Army,I learned to not volunteer for anything.dammit if I had chosen that moment to let the pot Id smoke use those brain cells.So next thing I know,she and I are pullin up plants.Im talking 4 long rows of dense foliage.It came up rather quickly to my novice garndener suprise.Then FIL tilled.Man the boys had a ball rolling around like pigs in poo.the dirt was soooo soft and flaky like a buscuit.Levi even put his little face in it a few times.blekkkkkkk.
then it got time for us to plant.she has an effective but redneck rigged way to do this.Sher has a sting tied to 2 tomato sticks and you walk a straight line and unravel it.I told her i couldnt walk a straight line sober,but then was reminded this was MY idea.No point in arguing the truth.So I learned how to make a straight line.then came the ingenious was to dig a hole.You rake the sharp edge of the hole along the still strung line.Easy Peasy.Then you plant,2 seeds at a time a hoe witdth apart.Wha La,I am a gardener.But I tell you what,and told her too,that if I had been in the garden all summer I just might get sexy again.SHe told me she HAD been in it all summer to no avail.lol.
Then came okra and cucumber picking.I dont care for okra unless pickled { i know not southern!}.She picked it and just tossed it into a bucket.After the 3rd and final attmept to get me to take home cukes to Sam I gave in and agreed to bring them to her.Then MIL said a wonderful thing...theres enough to make a small batch of dills and I have just the stuff.Yay!It hought my own pickles.My Mama and memaw have never had any dill luck.I was determined!
So along with the [peas,I brought home cucumbers,tomato's and some squash.and some basil and dill and sage.All grown in MIL's garden.
THis morning I made my first batch of pickles ever.She had givne me a bag fo DP mix,but i noticed it was not enough.Being the Domestic godess that I am,I had all the ingrediants listed on the bag,including tumeric.Who has freaking tumeric and ground dired mustard?I DO!So I added to my recntly pickling lime soaked cukes.they were crucnhy and colorful since i had added food coloring to the soak.Into the jar they went while the mix simmered.the okra too since crystal freaking loves pickeld okra and its about the only way I eat it.I now have 11 jars sitting on my counter.They are sitting in a brine that is yellow.not gonna tell you what THat looks like,lol.
Then came the peas.I shelled about half the freds sack i have of them before Levi got too curious and I had to put them up for now.But bed time is soon.
This quest Ive been on has truly made me feel connected to my sisters of the past.They HAD to do this for their families.Im jsut trying to save a dollar.Which is about what you save per jar if you break it all down.But to me theres nothing better than homeade.Grandad like the preserves I made him too,btw.Good thing he aint go not teeth,b/c they would have for sure jerked them out.Poildent be dammed.Theres still so much to learn,and Im trying to be a willing pupil.

Watermellon Rind Preserves

SOoOO in my constant quest to be a true domestic godess Ive been making jam and jelly recently to take advantage of the summers bounty.Ive invented my own jam and jelly recipes.I made delicious strawberry,succesfully.Ive made orange maramalade,NOT succesfully.And lately Its been watermellon stuffs.To me there are few things better than a big ole slice of sun warmed,fresh from the patch watermellon.mmm.So I made watermellon/grape jelly.It was just WM but it never set and was too sweet,so not to waste anything after amking homeade grape jelly I added the rest of the juice to the pot.It gave it some wang at the end and is kick ass on a bisciut.Even the Whopping kind.{think canned you have to whop on the ocunter to open,but dont whop too hard,or you will have dough all over the kitchen.Thank goodness for the ten second rule.}.So,this time at the request of Neils aging grandad,I made watermellon Rind preserves.It truly is a pain in the ass.Specially since Ive never made it before.Not to waste,yet again,i hacked upt he watermellona nd cooked it down for jelly juice.we hacked,peeled,adn diced watermellon hide.I followed Grandads half cocked directions and said a prayer.Welp after cooking the boiling cauldron of sugar and rind it didnt quite look thick enough,so I took off the top and cooked some more.About 2 hours.By now my house smells like corn.Neil came up with that and we're sticking to it.Fonked up my whole house.Apparently one of the airvents that permeates the house is over the stove.this can be useful when waking up to cinnamon rolls or makeing homeade air freshener with cinnamon and cloves,but not so much on WM preserves.SO then after consulting with MY grandmother,I decided it was time to jar em up.I had let it cook so long I could have made hard candy.I had very little syrup left to pour over the now almost candied rinds.So into jars this small batch that took forever to make went.Upon opening a jar,its so thick you cant hardly scoop it out.Its like taffy texture,but not creamy.Think stiff sugar.We will see today if the fruits of our labor,I got neil to Help since it was HIS grandad who asked for em,if he likes them.I guess the women who thought of this had to use EVERYTHING they had.I guess Im blessed that I can toss my rinds into the tree line and make a sweetish supper for ants and other varmits that like watermellon.THe dog,we learned does NOT.I guess its all lessons learned.