Gingery Pear Jam

Name: Gingery Pear Jam
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 7 1/2 pints
Ingredients: 5 lbs pears, peeled, cored, and chopped; 5 cups sugar; 1 -2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (or substitute 1-2 T. candied ginger, minced); 1 tablespoon lemon zest; 1 tablespoon orange zest; 1/4 cup lemon juice

Submitted by dianegrapegrower

"Gingery, with hints of lemon and orange, this jam is delightful on biscuits or scones. I like to use a variety of pears when making this jam, to give it more texture, while preserving the sweetness. The larger amount of ginger makes a very gingery jam, while the lesser amount (of course) is milder."

Download

photo by dianegrapegrower

Ready In:: 1hr 15mins
Ingredients:: 6
Yields:: 7 1/2 pints

ingredients

5 lbs pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
5 cups sugar
1 -2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (or substitute 1-2 T. candied ginger, minced)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange zest
¹⁄₄ cup lemon juice

directions

Prepare 1/2 pint jars, lids, and water bath canner. Place a small plate in the freezer to chill.
After chopping, puree roughly half the pears in a food processor until smooth. Alternatively, you may grate all the pears. Or you may use an immersion blender in the pot when half cooked. The goal is to have a jam with a smooth pulpy texture, punctuated by small chunks of fruit. Without the smooth, pulpy pears, the taste is more like pears in ginger sauce.
Add all ingredients to a 5-6 quart dutch oven. Stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until thickened, stirring occaisionally. (20-30 minutes, depending on how juicy the fruit is).
Test thickness of jam by putting a small spoonful on a chilled plate, and tilting. If the jam remains mounded and doesn't drip, it's done.
Fill jars, leaving a 1/4" headspace, cap, and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.