Pear Jelly was the perfect way to use up the rest of the pears that were slowly ripening in a bag by my back door. We had a lot of pears, and you can only eat so many. After giving a lot of them away, and making Pear Gorgonzola Bites, some muffins and lots of salads, I still had a lot of pears. This jelly used them all up. Which is good, because when they all get ripe at once, there's just no way we could eat them all.
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Jelly Making vs Jam Making
I've made a lot of jam, but always hesitated to make jelly because it seemed complicated. What with having to extract juice from the fruit first. The first time I decided to tackle jelly making was Grape Jelly from our homegrown grapes. From there I made Pepper Jelly from garden peppers, and now I make both every year. It turns out that there's nothing complicated about jelly making. There is, however, a little passive time involved while you wait for the juice to extract. And passive time means you can get some other stuff done. (or not).
When making jelly, you use the whole fruit, skin and all, because the skin contains a lot of the fruit's pectin. So there's a little less effort required when it comes to peeling, coring, and chopping than if you were making jam.
If you want to make some jelly, The Old Farmer's Almanac has some great info and tips. How to Make Jelly. This recipe comes from the Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving, which has over 400 recipes.
This Jelly is Not Just For Toast
I love the jewelled colours of little jars of jelly, all lined up neatly in the pantry. And they make great homemade gifts, too. Besides just toast, you can use this pear jelly as a glaze for meat or poultry. It also makes a great Asian style dipping sauce when mixed with some soy sauce and rice vinegar. Toss it, along with some balsamic vinegar, on winter squash before roasting. It's delicious stirred into plain yogurt or hot oatmeal, too.
Recipe
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Pear Jelly Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 lbs ripe pears
- 7 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 pouch 85 ml liquid pectin
Instructions
- Wash pears and remove the blossom and stem ends, but do not core or peel them
- Cut pears into quarters and place in a large, deep stainless steel pot.
- Add enough cold water to cover the fruit
- Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat, cover and boil gently just until pears are softened, about 30 minutes, occasionally mashing with a potato masher
- Transfer to a dampened jelly bag set over a deep bowl, or into a sieve lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth.
- Allow to drip at least 2 hours.
- Don't press or squeeze the fruit, as this will cloud the jelly.
- You should end up with 5 cups of pear juice.
- Combine the collected pear juice and sugar into a large, deep, stainless steel pot.
- Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat
- Stir in liquid pectin and continue to boil hard, stirring constantly, for one minute
- Skim off foam and transfer to hot sterilized jars
- Wipe jar rims and apply lids and screw bands
- Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes
- Remove from canner and allow to cool before ensuring jars are sealed and storing.
Kitty Kemp
I'll be trying this recipe out shortly! We have two beautiful pear trees in the yard and we never use them so I decided it's about dang time! My only question is this: I'll be boiling my jars to seal them, what kind of lid would you recommend? The two part ones with rings and flat lids, or the one part ones that just screw on? Thanks!
Colleen
Hi Kitty, you're so lucky to have those beautiful pear trees, so yes, it's about time you made some jelly. 😊 For canning and jams / jellies, I always use the two part lids with rings and flat lids. I don't know if screw on lids would seal, so to be safe, I would go with the two part. Good luck with your jelly! I would love to hear back how it turned out for you.
Chros
It seems like lots of sugar for that amount of fruit and juice. Do you find the jelly sweet? Just made my juice tonight and will make the jelly tomorrow. We had lots of pairs this year in our back yard so this will be a true home made product.
Colleen
Hi Chros, This jelly turned out perfect. Jelly is usually sweet, but you could reduce the amount of sugar, however, I can't guarantee the result. Isn't it amazing to have backyard produce for homegrown to homemade? If you reduce the sugar, I would love to hear back on how it turned out. Happy jelly making!
Chris
How much water to you add the pears before boiling them?
Colleen
Hi Chris, Just enough water to cover the fruit.
Kevin Hannigan
I bought a steamer to make the jelly. It produces lots of pear juice, which I can and store. Then later in the winter I take the canned juice and make pear jelly. Do the same with apples. Perfection and not messy, plus don't need patience watching that stuff drip, drip, drip.
Colleen
Hi Kevin. A steamer sounds like a great idea! So awesome that you found a way to make jelly that works for you. Cheers, and happy jelly making. 🙂
Gemma Zon
Colleen,
I love your easy recipe Thanks, I made jelly every summer. I put less sugar in this recipe and came out good. GODBLESS!!!
Colleen
Hi Gemma! I'm really happy to hear that this pear jelly turns out great with less sugar. Thanks for letting me know, because I'm going to try using less next time. Thank you so much for stopping by. ❤️
J'Nell Perkins
I added a fair amount of cinnamon to the recipe, as I love cinnamon. Was delicious. Super easy recipe.
Colleen
J'Nell, what a great idea to add cinnamon. I'm sure it must be delicious! Thanks for the idea, and I'm glad you liked the recipe!
Cindy
Can I use powder pectin?
Colleen
Hi Cindy, yes you can use 2 tbsp of powdered pectin, and you will need to completely dissolve the pectin in the juice before adding the sugar. Good luck!
Victoria Morse
Hi I have the reduced sugar crystal pectin. Do you know what the conversion from the liquid pectin to the crystal is? I am thinking of using the same amounts that I use for crabapple jelly....thoughts? And if you have time to answer two questions....why do some jelly's/jams need to be put in the water bath while others do not? Thank you
Colleen
Hi Victoria, You would use two tablespoons of the crystals, and be sure to dissolve the crystals into the juice before adding sugar, bringing to a full boil over high heat, then adding the sugar and returning to a full rolling boil for one minute. To be on the safe side, I always use a water bath unless I'm making a very small amount that can go in the fridge and be used up right away.
Kristine
I too, have 10,000 pears. I'm wondering if I can sub powdered pectin for the liquid?
Colleen
Hi Kristine, Isn't it both wonderful and a chore to have so many pears at once? You can sub powdered pectin for the liquid, but you will need to adjust the recipe a bit. Use two tablespoons of powdered pectin. Before adding sugar, whisk the powder into the juice until dissolved. Bring to a boil, stirring, over high heat. Then add sugar all at once, returning to full rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute. Good luck with your jelly!
Jennifer
Just a quick question or 2! So boiling seeds and all is safe? And also no lemon juice needs to be added? First time making pear jelly. And was just wondering about these 2 questions
Colleen
Hi Jennifer, yes boiling seeds and all is safe. The seeds and peels contain a lot of pectin, and will be strained out. And, no lemon juice needs to be added. Good luck with your jelly!
Chris
Dumb question, but this is my first time making jelly... when you say to transfer it to the jelly bag, you mean just the boiled pears, right? Not the water that I boiled them in as well?
Colleen
Hi Chris, no question is a dumb question! When you cook the pears, mashing them occasionally, you'll end up with kind of a pear purée. You transfer the whole thing to the jelly bag. Best wishes for your first jelly!
prasanna hede
I love pears,if you were my neighbor i would have finished most!jelly looks yummy!
Colleen
Prasanna, too bad you aren't my neighbor then! 🙂
Chef Mireille
wow - perfect texture - while I do make jam often, never made jelly before. You are inspiring me to try it
Colleen
Thanks, Chef Mireille! So glad to be an inspiration to you!
Helene
Wow this jelly looks so amazing ?
I would love to try this ?
Thanks for such a lovely recipe!
Colleen
Thanks Helene! I hope you do try it! It's a great way to preserve some pears!
Tiffany
This looks so elegant. I like the color of the jelly and those pretty jars! My favorite winter fruit are pears. However, I have never tried a pear jelly and must try this.
Colleen
Thanks Tiffany! This was my first time making a pear jelly, and it was easier than I thought, and so worth it!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
I have never made jelly, and only once have I made freezer jam. My mom was a canning fanatic. The cold room was filled with jars or preserves. Unfortunately this did not rub off on me. Your jelly sounds delicious. I love pears.
Colleen
Thanks Gloria! Homemade jams and jellies are a great way to preserve fresh local fruit. 🙂