Friendly Kitchen: Pear Jam

What tastes better than a hot piece of toast smothered in homemade jam? In my opinion, not much!

Fresh pear jam is absolutely amazing, and really simple to make. So, if you haven't ever tried it before, go ahead. You'll be surprised by how much you like Pear Jam and how easy it is to make - you'll never buy jam again.

Ingredients:

4 cups pear puree (about 3 lbs. fully ripe pears)

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 box fruit pectin (I like Sure Jell - do not buy the sugar free kind)

5 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. butter

6 jam jars (or 3 pint jars)

6 canning lids

6 canning rings (hold the lids in place - the piece you screw on)

Prepare Jars - There are two ways to do this. The 1st method involves a large pot of boiling water. The 2nd involves the dishwasher....definitely use the 2nd method. Place your jars and rings in the dishwasher - make sure the "heated dry" is on. Add detergent and turn it on. The jars will be sterilized and ready to use when the dishwasher is done.

Prepare Lids - Place new canning lids (ones that fit your jars - wide or small mouthed) in a small pan of water. Place on the stove and bring the water to boiling. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let the water simmer. The lids will stay like this until you need them.

Prepare Fruit - Peel and core pears. I like my fruit pureed so I stick it in the blender (or a food processor). If you like yours with more chunks you can use a potato masher or just chop the pears into small pieces. Either way, you need 4 cups of prepared fruit.

Okay....now that everything is ready, here goes.

Place fruit in a large pot. Add the lemon juice and butter. In a small bowl, place 1/2 cup of your sugar and the pectin. Stir to combine. Now add this pectin/sugar mixture to the pears.

Bring to a boil on high heat.

Once it boils - a full rolling boil - add the remaining sugar (4 1/2 cups).

Stir to combine. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly one minute. If your pot is too small, you'll have to really stir this so that it doesn't boil over.

Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon. I put this foam into a small bowl and let my kids eat it the next day.

Pull those hot jars and lids out of the dishwasher and get ready to fill them up. I use a 1 cup measure to scoop the jam into a larger 2 cup measure with a handle. Then pour the jam into the hot jars. Fill them up to within 1/8 inch of the top.

Use a clean damp cloth to clean the tops of your jars. You don't want any jam on the top to prevent the lids from sealing.

Remove your lids from the simmering water (I use a butter knife to help pull them out) and place on top of the jars. Now, take the rings and screw them on tight - but not too tight.

Turn your jars over and place on a dish towel. Allow them to stay this way 12 hours or if you're like me and you made your jam at midnight, let them sit overnight.

If you boil your lids and place the jars upside down, there is no need to do a water bath to process the jam. This method is only recommended for jam, so please don't do this with fruits or vegetables.