Pear butter: Purdue University FEMI
Materials:
4 lbs. pears
1/3 cup apple cider
2 T. lemon juice
2.5 cups brown sugar
Saucepan
½ pt. jar and lids for canning
2 tsp. salt
1.
Wash pears under cold running water and drain. Cut in half lengthwise, core and peel. Coarsely chop. Place chopped pears, apple cider and lemon juice in a 4-6 qt. crock pot. Set to high and simmer until pears have softened, about 40 minutes. Turn off heat.
2.
Process pear mixture using an immersion blender until puree is smooth.
3.
Combine pear mixture with brown sugar and salt. Turn heat to high and place lid on a diagonal over the crock-pot allowing steam to escape at both ends. Simmer on high, stirring every 30 minutes or so until puree thickens, darkens in color and holds its shape on a spoon for about 3-4 hours.
4.
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil.
5.
Ladle hot pear butter into a hot jar and leave 1/4” headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
1.
Water must cover jars by 1”. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil. Process ½ pt. jars 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool for 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner. Cool 12-24 hours.
Data:
| pH | Aw | Brix | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-canning | 3.9 | 0.9516 | 36.4 |
| Post-canning | 3.93 | 0.9486 | 37.6 |
| Less sugar, pre-canning | 3.42 | 0.9427 | 35.9 |
| Less sugar, post- canning |
3.64 | 0.9391 | 35.4 |
Conclusion: In this receipt test, it was found that the pH would stay below the required pH of 4.6. This pH is low enough to inhibit microbial growth and keep the pear butter safe. However, it was found that fruit variability is a major factor in all food safety indicators: pH, water activity, and brix. The general recommendation is that each season’s canning be tested for water activity and pH if making a non-apple fruit butter before selling.