Wednesday, October 19

Recipe: Really Easy Low Sugar Pear Butter Cooked in the Oven

Very ripe pears are the secret to this flavorful, foolproof pear butter that keeps in the fridge for a few weeks and freezes well. No canning required! (recipe here).

Pears are in season, and there's nothing like homemade pear butter. This popular Really Easy Low Sugar Pear Butter I've been making for years in the oven is so simple and it tastes divine.

To make this recipe, you will not have to:

- Peel and core your pears.
- Fill up a sink with dirty pots and pans.
- Boil your fruit in water to cook it and then pour that flavor- and nutrient-filled water out.
- Babysit a simmering pot on the stove for hours, stirring every few minutes so that it doesn't scorch.
- Use anywhere near a cup of sugar per each cup of fruit (as many recipes do).
- Tell the lucky eaters of your fabulous homemade pear butter just how little effort it actually took to make it.

You will need a food mill and about two and a half hours of time, though the total hands-on work is maybe 20 minutes. You will also need very ripe pears; the riper they are, the sweeter they are. This is a great way to use up bruised and battered pears, which taste extra sweet.

Pears are plentiful and cheap right now, and in many places they're available locally grown. Unfortunately pears are also high on the Environmental Working Group's list of Most Contaminated Produce (strawberries and apples are #1 and #2 this year), so it's especially important to seek out organic pears if at all possible.

A good mature pear tree can literally produce several hundred pounds of fruit each year, so ask around. You might discover that a friend or neighbor would love for you to take a bushel or two off their hands. You can also search LocalHarvest.org for fresh pears near you.

If you're facing a mountain of ripe pears, making pear butter is the perfect way to use it up. You can process jars of pear butter in a water bath canner, but it will keep unprocessed in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks (I never have any around longer than that), and it also freezes well.

Homemade pear butter makes a wonderful gift, and if you don't want to bother with the canning process, simply tell the recipient to stick their jar in the fridge and enjoy it right away.

No comments:

Post a Comment

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!

Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.

I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!