Pears!!
Let's get out the crockpot and make some pear butter. It's really easy.
1. Wash, peel, core, and chop the pears. Fill the crockpot heaping full of the chopped pears.
2. Cook the pears on High till they settle a little bit and can be stirred. Add 3 cups of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, and a 1/2 cup of lemon juice.
3. Cook pears, covered, on high till they are juicy and bubbling ... stirring occasionally.
4. Reduce heat to Low and simmer overnight. I used chopsticks to vent the lid, to allow for evaporation so the mixture will reduce.
5. In the morning, the pears were soft, and the liquid was thick and caramelized.
6. Puree till smooth. I used my immersion blender. Since I planned to can my pear butter, I put the lid on the crockpot and turned the heat up to High to bring the mixture back to a boil while I prepared my jars and lids.
This recipe made five pints of pear butter ... seven half-pints went into the canner and three half-pints for the fridge to use and give away right now.
This was my first attempt at any type of fruit butter, and it's really delicious. I hope you can use my recipe and directions and try it for yourself.
