I hate pears ...Part II

I don't know if you heard or not, but I have developed a hatred for pears.  Just kidding.  It's not that I hate them, it's just like that friend who comes to visit and stays way too long.  And these pears, stayed way past their welcome.  But through weeks of preserving, I came up with the following:

6 quarts of pie filling, some frozen, some canned
7 pints of jam
7 half pints of pear sauce (like applesauce)
6 quarts plus 9 pints of pears, some in medium syrup, some in heavy syrup
14 half pints plus 18 pints of jelly
11 half pints of pear butter

What I learned from this experience:

1. Get some help.  My poor arthritic hands still ache from all the peeling and coring.
2. Use a crock pot.  Yep, the crock pot is great for making pear butters and even cooking the pears for jelly.  I had two going at the same time.
   
    
3. Use a turkey fryer.   You know those burners you use with a huge pot when you are frying a turkey.  Well, they work great for canning.  Just take your canner outside and heat it out there.  It doesn't heat up your kitchen and cooks so much faster.  
4. Don't waste anything.  We have three chickens who got a lot of the scraps. But there were more than even the chicks could eat.  I have a composter that I used for most of the rest.  And honestly, we took some of the bruised and overripe pears back out to the orchard for a treat for the deer and squirrels.  
5. Share!  Anything handmade is better when its shared.  I always feel that there is a lot of love that goes into anything handmade.  (Even if there is swearing and complaining involved.)
6. Enjoy!  I probably won't be chowing down on pears for a while, but I am so proud of what I accomplished.  

Here is my own recipe for pear butter in a crock pot (could also use apples):

         Pears   I used about 4 quarts.  Basicly, I filled up the crock pot.  Peel and core them and cut them into pieces.  Not too little.  Add a half cup or so of orange juice, or in my case, I had so much pear juice, I added some of that. Put them in the crock pot on high for an hour or so.  Check them to see if they are soft.  This is where the fun comes in.  Do you have one of those immersion blenders?  Also called a stick blender, you just plug them in and they mash up the pears right there in the crock pot!  No need to get out the mixer, or change bowls, or make any additional messes......good Heavens, this is messy enough.  Don't mash them too much, just the consistency of thick applesauce.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a potato masher, or a regular mixer or food processor.  Now spice this baby up!  I added 3-4 cups of sugar.  Taste it.  You can tell if it needs more.  Add a half teaspoon each of ground cloves and allspice and a teaspoon of cinnamon.  Mix it all up, turn to low and let it cook.  You might stir it every couple of hours.  But to tell you the truth, I added another half cup of water, put the lid on, and went to bed.  

      The next morning, the house smelled like warm apple pie.  I sterilized my jars and lids and filled them and put them in the canner, boiling for 15-20 minutes.   

I think I have decided that I still love pears.  Like that friend who stayed too long, I will have them over.... for tea and biscuits..........