Spicy Pear Preserves with Peppers
Sweet and spicy pear preserves with big chunks of fruit and two kinds of peppers. Serve with cheese, vegetables or meat. A great addition to a charcuterie board.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- 6 half pint canning jars with new lids and rings
- water bath canner with rack
- paring knife
- 8-cup measuring cup
- large nonreactive bowl
- funnel
- ladle
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 8 cups pears peeled, cored and chopped
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons bottled lemon juice
- ½ cup red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper finely chopped
Instructions
Preparing the Preserves
- Place the pears in a large bowl and add the sugar, stirring until the fruit pieces are covered.
- Cover and let sit for at least 8 hours, or overnight, in the refrigerator.
- Remove the fruit from the refrigerator and add to the Dutch oven, along with the lemon juice.
- Cook over medium-high heat until the fruit mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add more sugar, if necessary. Cook, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- After 1 hour, add the diced bell pepper and jalapeño pepper to the Dutch oven.
- Continue cooking on low, covered, for 1½ to 2 more hours until the mixture has darkened and is thick and syrupy. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Water Bath Canning Method
- Ladle into hot, sterlized jars, allowing ½ inch of headspace. Run a chopstick, small spatula or debubbling tool around the inside of each jar to remove any air bubbles.
- Wipe down jar rims with a clean wet cloth before applying lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight.
- Place jars on a rack in a water bath canner and process (covered) for 10 minutes. (If you live in a high-altitude, adjust processing time according to instructions in the Notes section.)
- Turn off the canner, uncover and let jars sit for 5 minutes.
- Use a jar lifter to transfer jars to a cooling rack or a baking sheet lined with towels.
- Allow jars to sit for 24 hours before moving them. You should hear the lids pop as they seal.
- After 24 hours, check that the jars are sealed by pressing the middle of the lid with your finger. If the lid moves or springs back, it is not sealed. You can attempt to reprocess any unsealed jars or store the preserves in the refrigerator.
Notes
Variations & Adjustments
- Adjust the spiciness and sweetness of these preserves by adding more hot peppers (or using a different variety) and adding more sugar. Some pear preserve recipes call for as much as 4 cups of sugar per 8 cups of fruit.
- Season with cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg or allspice to make spiced preserves.
- Substitute apples for the pears in this recipe to make spicy apple preserves.
High Altitude Canning Adjustments
If you live at a high altitude, increase processing time in the water bath canner by the appropriate amount:- 1001-3000 feet above sea level – increase by 5 minutes
- 3001-6000 feet above sea level – increase by 10 minutes
- 6,001- 8,000 feet above sea level increase by 15 minutes
- 8,001- 10,000 feet above sea level increase by 20 minutes
Storage
Store properly sealed jars of pear preserves in the pantry for up to a year. Store opened jars of preserves in the refrigerator and use within a month.Nutrition
Calories: 40kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.03gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 0.4mgPotassium: 36mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 58IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.1mg
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