I had various pectin brands around the house, so I decided to make a quick batch of pear jam, that was lower sugar (if you make traditional jam with grocery store pectin, it can be 7 cups sugar for a batch, this way I only used 3 cups. Which was still high for my taste, but far better).
I did a dice of the pears, and while I mashed it a bit while cooking, I let most of the fruit stay intact, giving a lovely look to the jam. It turned out as a thick spread.
This year we had a great pear crop on our one tree in the orchard. The tree produced very nicely.
I picked the pears a little early, I didn’t want the hornets/wasps getting into them, and let them ripen inside. A solid choice. They eventually turned a pale yellow and were ready.
Lower Sugar Pear Jam
Ingredients:
- 5 cups pears peeled, cored and diced
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 box Sure Jell Low or No Sugar pectin
- 3 cups granulated sugar
Directions:
Place 7 6-ounce canning jars in a water bath canner. Fill the jars with water, then fill the pot with water to cover the jars. Bring to a near boil, then let simmer while you are working.
Peel, core, and dice pears, then place in a large pot and stir in lemon juice. Add ¼ cup of the sugar to the pectin, then stir into the pear mixture. Bring to full rolling boil over high heat (a boil that doesn’t stop when stirring). Stir in sugar quickly, return to a full rolling boil, and cook for 1 minute after it returns to the boil. Take off the heat.
Drain jars using tongs and place them on a clean kitchen towel. Ladle the hot jam into the bars using a sterilized canning funnel. Leave a ¼” headspace.
Dip a clean paper towel in hot water, then run around the top of each jar. Place a lid on each jar, then a band, screw on finger tight.
Turn the canner up to high, place jars in the water bath rack, and lower the rack into water. Water should cover by 1 – 2″. Bring to a rolling boil, covered, and then process for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, carefully remove jars, placing on a clean dry kitchen towel to cool.
Once cooled, check again that the seals are down (you should hear the Ping! as each one seals). Gently remove bands (wash, dry and store for your next project. While they look nicer on, if they have water inside from processing, they can rust. If you are giving away your canned items, you can always slip one back on), note on jar or lid what is in jar with a date. Store in a dry/cool/dark area and use within a year.
As always, if you ever go to use a canned item and the lid is not sealed anymore, or bulging, discard it immediately! (I have only ever lost one jar in all my canning, so don’t fret!)
This batch made 6 6-ounce jars (36 ounces). I always add in another jar just in case there is extra jam – if not, just let it air dry and set aside.
~Sarah