Canned pears or pere sciroppate used to be a mainstay in most rural villages in Calabria (one of the southern most provinces in Italy) as were canned and preserved peaches and other fruits. These days, you’re more likely to find supermarket canned fruit in the cupboards of most southern Italian kitchens, especially during the winter months when there is a lack of fresh fruit.
Our canned pear recipe utilizes Forelle pears and a simple lemon water / sugar liquid and or syrup to preserve the delicate fruit. You can apply this method to peach preservation, as well.
Canned Pears (Pere Sciroppate)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 pounds of Forelle pears (you can substitute other pear varieties)
- 1 whole lemon
- Filtered water
- 1.5 cups of sugar
- Ball/Mason jars
Process
- Peal the pears and cut into quarters removing any tough membrane and all seeds. Place the pears in a large pot with fresh filtered water, the juice of 1 lemon (assuming you can 1-2 pounds of cut pear into a large pot), and 1-1.5 cups of sugar. You'll want to add enough water to barely cover the pears.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and let cook for 10-15 minutes (you don't want to make the fruit to soft at this point). Let the pears cool slightly and place them in mason jars and cover with cooking liquid. Place the mason jars in a large pot with boiling water and sterilize for 15 minutes and until your seal develops.
Notes
You can re-use some commercial jars per our photos (and what folks do in Calabria), however please read through the article at http://czechthatout.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/1235/
Just be careful using commercial jars and lids for your home canning as shown in these photos instead of standard (e.g., Ball/Mason) jars. It can be done, but with some important caveats.
http://czechthatout.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/1235/
Dr. K., thanks for the comment. We recommend new Ball/Mason jars, but per the link you supplied and the countless Italian relatives it’s ok to re-use most commercial jars (at least 1X-2X; we recommend throwing away commercial jars after just a few home uses because the seal will inevitably wear down).
Moreover, I found this info from the link you provided useful:
If the jar is sterilized and the lug cap is heated in a pan of boiling water to soften the gasket, the jar will seal properly. When I empty the contents from a commercial jar, I wash the jar and lug cap. Then I re-cap the jar and store it until it’s needed for canning. I categorize the jars; jelly jars, pickle jars, tomato sauce jars, etc. When I use them, I’m careful to fill them with the same type of contents as the jar’s previous use had been intended for. By recapping them while in storage, I don’t mix up the caps with a different type jar. I re-use a cap for only one time. I buy new lug caps, but continue using the glass jars year after year.