Pear Butter

Our July guest post is from Allison at The Novice Life. Take it away Allison!

My name is Allison and I live on almost 6 acres with my husband and 4 month old son! Included on our hobby farm is an Apple orchard so we are now self-taught apple farmers! With 120 trees, we do sell at farmer’s markets, but it would be a shame to not save some of the goodness for ourselves. So, I’ve learned to preserve the ‘fruits of our labor’!

Among the things I preserve, I do a Pear Butter with a variety of the different Pears we grow. The Pear Butter is a big hit with those who have tried it and I am often asked where it can be purchased. Because we only have 8 Pear trees in the orchard, and the Pears sell out fast, I have to be sure to gather enough every season to make a few batches.

So, without further adieu, let’s make some Pear Butter. Our first Pear variety, Red Bartlett, starts ripening for harvest in mid-August.

• About 4 pounds of Pears, peels and diced – whichever variety you would like. I mix.
• 5 Cups,  Apple Cider
• 2.5 C, Light Brown Sugar
• 1.5 Tsp, Cinnamon
• 1.5 Tsp, Nutmeg
• 1/8 Tsp, Ground Clove
• 2 Tbs, Vanilla extract

In a non-reactive dutch oven-type pot (I use an enamel coated pot – like a Le Creuset, but a knock off!) bring the cider to a boil and reduce it by about half. Then add in your chopped pears and cook them down. As they cook down, mash ‘em up a bit. Once they become soft and translucent, puree the mix in batches in a food processor or blender, or if you have an immersion blender, you can do it all right in the pot.

At this point, if you have a baby not yet on solids, this ‘Pear Puree’ would be perfect to let him indulge in! I have a 4 month old and I cannot wait to let him try this! And, feel free to add in the spices too if you think your tot will enjoy it!

Once the mixture is pureed, put it back into the pot, add the spices, and cook it down over a med/med-high heat until it thickens. You know your stove top best so you chose the heat level. Just keep a close eye on it stirring often so the bottom doesn’t scorch.

Depending on how much you like your spices, you can dabble with the actual measurements you put in.

Once the mixture has cooked down to a thick consistency, you are ready to ladle it into your prepped, hot canning jars. Prepare them, with lids & bands (if you use ‘em) and drop your jars into a water bath for 15 minutes. I usually make one jar w/o a sealing lid to go directly into the fridge. I recommend eating it within a week once opened.

Warm Pear Butter on a warm roll with some Peanut Butter is ABSOLUTE heaven to me 🙂 Enjoy!

My name is Allison and I am a 29 year old wife, new mother to a 4 month old baby boy and passion animal advocate! My husband and I have lived on our farm for a little over three years. When we were looking for houses, it was my goal to purchase property where I could move my horse home with me – the property we chose just so happened to have an apple orchard on it! So, we are now self taught apple farmers! We sell at local farmers markets and have a small client base that come directly to the farm for pick up. I try to be as much of a Locavore as possible, eating fresh & homemade…and I can’t wait to make homemade baby food 🙂

Allison blogs at The Novice Life. 

Thanks Allison! 🙂