Go Back
three green pears on a wooden cutting board with another pear sliced in half. A pink zinnia flower sits in a mason jar of water in the background, a knife and peeler in the foreground
johnsonhomenc

Pear Jam

Three simple, real food ingredients make this delicious pear jam using no pectin.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 13 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 pints
Course: condiment
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 cups pears about 12 large Bartlett and Anjou pears
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice

Equipment

  • 1 mixing bowl
  • 1 mixing spoon
  • 1 knife
  • 1 potato peeler
  • 1 stock pot or canner

Method
 

  1. Use a potato peeler to peel pears if choosing to peel. Cut the pear in half length-wise then cut out the core and stem.
  2. Dice pears into small chunks and add to the mixing bowl.
  3. Add the lemon juice and use a mixing spoon to coat pears in juice.
  4. If mixing bowl is too full, pour contents into a larger bowl and add sugar. Using spoon, mix the pears, sugar, and lemon juice mixture well to incorporate all pears.
  5. Next, put the bowl in the refrigerator, covered, to macerate for at least 8 hours, best if overnight.
  6. The next day, take the bowl from the fridge and dump into a large stock or sauce pot on medium-high heat, stirring very often. This mixture will need to be stirred for about 45 minutes. You will notice the liquid ring around the pot reduce by almost half during this time. The mixture is becoming a syrup.
  7. To test if the jam is ready to be jarred, you can do the plate test. This means storing a small serving plate in the freezer for at least 10 minutes while you are just beginning to stir. When you believe the jam is ready, remove the plate from the freezer and add half a spoonful of jam to the plate. Place the plate back into the freezer for 1 minute. After this time, turn the plate sideways so the jam can run down the plate vertically. Swipe your finger through the jam. If the swiped area remains, your jam is ready. If the jam runs into the swiped area, you will need to stir it for about 5 more minutes then repeat test.
  8. Get your largest stock/soup pot or pressure canner ready with water.
  9. Jars- place 5 clean pint jars in oven at 235 degrees for 15 minutes to sanitize. Jars may stay in the oven until you need each one.
  10. Lids and rings- place washed lids and rings into a very warm/hot water bath of a small pot filled with water.
  11. Carefully remove one jar at a time from the oven to fill with pear jam leaving a 1/4 inch headspace.
  12. Wipe the rim with a wet paper towel or clean dish cloth.
  13. Carefully get a lid and ring out of the hot water and add to the jar, tightening to finger-tip tightness.
  14. Place jars in the canner (or large pot) and make sure all jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Then allow the water temperature to return to boiling.
  15. Once water is boiling rapidly again, set timer for 10 minutes to water bath process pear jam.
  16. After 10 minutes, turn off the stovetop and carefully remove each jar. Place each jar of pear jam spaced 1 inch a part on a kitchen towel in a place out of the way as not to be disturbed for 12-24 hours. Drape another kitchen towel over the jars to rest.
  17. Test each jar after at least 12 hours to make sure they are sealed.
  18. Date and label contents of each jar and store away for later.

Notes

This recipe makes 4-5 half pints.
 
More details and recipes like this at www.johnsonhomenc.coma single pint jar of pear jam sitting on a wooden table