Sunday, September 28, 2008

pear raspberry freezer jam.


I love making small batch freezer jams. I never like too much of just one flavor - I'm weird that way. I also like to experiment with different recipes. So while I do try to get large quantities of fruit in season and preserve it, I try to diversify. That means that I often make freezer jams rather than canning since I just do a little at a time.

My husband brought home a big bag of raspberries from work this week - his co-worker had "too many" in her lawn and was kind enough to share. I had some first season pears too, and pulled out this recipe to make a few jars. Raspberries and pears are great together - the pears balance the tartness of the raspberries while keeping the intense berry taste. This recipe is quick and easy!

pear raspberry freezer jam::

ingredients::
3 lb ripe pears
3 c fresh red raspberries
1 pk (1.75 oz) fruit pectin (powdered)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ginger liquid (optional, I use liquid from this)
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
5 cups turbinado sugar

directions::
Peel, core, and coarsely grind pears; then measure 2 cups fruit. Crush red raspberries; measure 2 cups of berries. In a large pot, combine ground pears, berries, pectin, ginger juice, lemon juice and nutmeg. Bring to a full rolling boil. Stir in the sugar. Boil hard, uncovered, for 1 minute; stir constantly with long-handled spoon. Remove from heat and skim off the foam with a metal spoon. Ladle jam at once into hot, clean half-pint jars, or freezer jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Let come to room temp before putting into fridge or freezer.

1 comment:

Rebecca said...

My in-laws have an abundance of pears each year, so I've been looking for freezer pear jam recipes. This one sounds divine. Thank you for sharing! I can't wait to try it.