September 7, 2009

Pears

Autumn arrived at our house today in the form of beautifully ripened bartlett pears. I purchased them on Thursday and they rested in the dugout until today. I knew that it was today or never, so after an invigorating gym class, I draped my apron about me and began to get the kitchen ready for canning. I have to wipe all surfaces down before I preserve anything - it just doesn't feel right if I see crumbs or fingerprints.

The process was long. Longer than I remember from last year. Perhaps it was that I was flying solo for the first batch. Maybe that invigorating gym class sapped my energy(it was a great class). Whatever it was, I was glad to see those last seven quarts in the boiling water before I headed in for my shower. After what seemed like eternity, I have 13 quarts of pears sitting on my picnic table in the backyard. I swear I canned more than just 13 quarts - at least if felt like I peeled more that 13 quarts worth of pears. I still have pears left over - a little green for canning. They are resting and growing sweeter with every passing minute. These guys will get to try out my new drying sheets for the dehydrator. I'll let you know how pear leather turns out in the next couple of days.

4 comments:

i'm erin. said...

Wow Melissa,
I've been trying to can, but my stuff is not coming out so pretty. Your's look great!

Lael said...

I'm curious about the pear leather. I think next year, I may talk Jeff into building a solar dehydrator. We'll see.

Melissa said...

the pear leather turned out great. I think I will spread it thicker the next go round however. It takes quite a bit of jaw power to chew it.

Leslie said...

I love to can, too! We are lucky because we live near quite a few orchards and in the middle of farm country so there are lots of canning opportunities here. Pears are one of my favorites.