Old-Fashioned Pear Preserves

Gather

Ingredients

• 3 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 6 medium hard-ripe pears, cored, peeled, and halved or quartered
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Preserve

Instructions

1. 01

   Put 1-1/2 cups sugar and the water in a pan; cook at a rapid boil for 2 minutes.

2. 02

   Stir in the pears and maintain a gentle boil for 15 minutes.

3. 03

   Mix in the remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar and the sliced lemon, stirring until no sugar crystals remain. Boil briskly until the pears turn clear, about 25 minutes.

4. 04

   Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

5. 05

   Sterilize the canning jars before filling. Bring the chilled pears and their syrup back to a boil.

6. 06

   Divide the fruit among the hot jars and retain 1/4 inch headspace. If the syrup is thin, boil it another 3 to 5 minutes; pour it over the pears and restore the 1/4 inch headspace.

7. 07

   Use the tested boiling-water process: 5 minutes (base time).
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