This flavorful pear butter really is easy to make (recipe here).
Pears are in season, and there's nothing like homemade pear butter. This Really Easy Low Sugar Pear Butter recipe I shared a few years ago is so simple, and it tastes divine. There's no peeling or coring required, and because it cooks in the oven instead of on the stove top, you don't have to babysit a simmering pot for hours. It's also 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 (apples are #1), 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 them up. You can process jars of pear butter in a simple waterbath canner, but it will keep unprocessed in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks (I never have any around longer than that). 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.
Got lots of pears? You may also enjoy my Easy Autumn Pear and Apple Crisp and 100% Whole Grain Ginger Pear Bran Muffins.
© FarmgirlFare.com, where even the donkeys love pears.
Well I am in a frenzy of windfall pears but sadly this year will be the last as our surveyors have told us the tree has to go (4 December)I have made up a freezer load of puree of pears with star anise and it is tinged with sadness!
ReplyDeleteI love pear butter and usually make it in the slow cooker to avoid "babysitting." Two years ago, our little tree had a bumper crop but this year, I think we only got 6 pears. (sigh)
ReplyDeleteI've made peach and apple butter in the oven and it works perfectly. No idea why it never occurred to me to make pear butter. Thanks for the idea! It's too late for me this year but a batch is already on my to do list for next year.
ReplyDeleteLucky you! The pear trees here in this area of NH got hit with a freeze just as they were blooming - sad:( No pears this year - at least not from my favorite trees. Looks wonderful
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