Honey, I'm home.

Canning is one of those fun activities where I actively look for items to can.  My husband would say that if an object sits too long, it's in danger of being pressurized.  I'm beginning to feel a little super-human...  If you can boil water, you can make great pear honey.  It's just that easy.

Recently, my boss was telling me how much he loves pears.  A light bulb goes off in my head (another way of saying a rattling starts in my brain) and I remember my favorite pear honey recipe.  Like the foolproof bread recipe, it's simple to make.  In fact, my last batch I made while watching the Baltimore Ravens win in the playoffs.  Double joy!

Pear Honey

3 pounds Bartlett or Bosc pears
1 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple, with the juice
5 cups sugar (I use half brown sugar and half white)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
(makes 7 pints)

Wash and sterilize your pint jars and lids.  Keep hot until ready for pear honey.  In a water bath canner (or a large stock pot) place a small metal platform on the bottom to keep jars from sitting on the bottom.  You will need enough water to cover your jars with an inch over the top of the lids when setting in the pot.  Bring water to a rolling boil.

Peel and core pears unless you have a VitaMix blender.  (If you do have a VitaMix, you can just pull the stems off and cut any bad spots off and throw cut up pears, core, peel, and seeds all in the pot.)  In a large non-reactive pot you will add cut up pears, sugar, pineapple with juice and lemon juice.  Cook until tender.  Process in a blender until smooth.  In a VitaMix, the core, peel and seeds are processed in with the pears and completely disappear.  The end result looks like honey.  Such is my love affair with my VitaMix!

Pour honey into pints to the bottom of the neck of the jar and put lids and rims on "finger tight".  If you need a wrench it loosen it, you've gone too far.  Place your jars in the water bath canner.  I recommend using canning tongs to eliminate baking soda on burned fingers later.  Cover with a lid.  As soon as you have a good rolling boil again, time 10 minutes and you are done.

Remove the lid and with the tongs, take each pint out and place on a towel in a draft-free area.  Allow to cool completely.  You will hear the lids suction down as they cool.  That is the sound of success!