Amish Pear Butter Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my pear butter gritty? ›

Pear flesh is infused with very fine grit, made of clusters of stone cells. Stone cells, a subtype of sclereid cells, make up some other very hard tissues like peach pits and nut shells.

Place pears in a food processor or blender; puree until smooth. Measure 3 cups pureed pears into a saucepan. Add sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling, about 15 minutes.

Many varieties of pears are grown in Oregon. Bartlett, Bosc and Seckel are good varieties to preserve, however Anjou, Comice, Nelis and Forelle may also be preserved, depending on the end product. It is important to harvest pears at the correct time.

Grated pears can be used in numerous ways, from mixing into your morning muesli or porridge, stirred into a salad or coleslaw, baking into bread or buns, or our favourite – whisked into a pancake batter.

Have you noticed that pears can sometimes have a gritty texture compared to apples? This comes from stone cells, which develop in pears as they ripen on the tree. Stone cells have very thick cell membranes with very little space inside and are one of the reasons pears do not ripen well on the tree.

The Doyenne du Comice pear, commonly known as Comice, is considered to be one of the sweetest and juiciest pears. It has more of a silky smooth texture -- less grainy, with a blush of red, and a slightly more rounded figure.

Well, you can make pear butter! Contrary to the name, we aren't actually making "butter", per se; there are no dairy products in this recipe. Prepared this way, the jars should have a shelf life of about 18 months to 2 years...and possibly even longer depending upon the conditions.

Bartlett pear

Bartlett pears have a buttery texture, and are the pears most often used in canning in the U.S..

Bartlett pears (also called Williams) have what most people would consider the true “pear flavor.” Both red and green Bartletts are bell-shaped. You can find them in stores from September through the early months of winter. Since pears are harvested unripe, allow them to ripen at room temperature.

Pears, apples, guavas, quince, plums, gooseberries, and oranges and other citrus fruits contain large amounts of pectin, while soft fruits, like cherries, grapes, and strawberries, contain small amounts of pectin.

How long will homemade pear preserves last? ›

Preserves can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months. Jars do not have to be fully sealed for refrigeration. The shelf-stable method of preserving pears and similar foods makes storage easy. If properly sealed, pear preserves can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

If planning to use pears uncooked, freeze using juice or water method. Freezing pears using dry packing or in sugar is the best method for pies or other cooked dishes. If planning to use pears in a sweetened jam, jelly, fruit butter, or sauce, try freezing using the juice or water method, but choose unsweetened juice.

Peel, halve, and core pears, then cut into slices or wedges. Line a cookie sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper, then top that prepared sheet with the sliced pears. Place the sheet and pears in the freezer and allow to freeze solid.

Pears can be preserved by canning, freezing, or drying. They also star in specialty jams, butters, relishes and chutneys! The natural sweetness of dried pears makes them a tasty high energy snack. Although canning is preferred, full-flavored pears that are crisp and firm can be frozen.

It tends to be more of a problem during the summer months when products sit in hot trucks during shipping. Crystallization (graininess) in finished products or raw butter is due to the various fatty acids melting and cooling at different rates.

Some tricks to getting softer butter include cutting it into cubes which will speed up the process, or nuking it in the microwave for about 8 seconds and then rotating and repeating until it's the right consistency.

We get a crunchy and granular feeling when we chew pear fruit because of the presence of sclerenchyma tissue. The sclerenchyma cells are of two types- fibres and sclereids. The sclereids give a crunchy feeling to the pear fruit because it provides support and hardens the tissue.